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SUNDAY, JUNE 15, 1986
TO DATE. 38 OF 119 BLOCKS IN THE AREA HAVE BEEN MODIFIED AND WORK IS UNDERWAY ON THE OTHERS. AS THE ESTATE BLOCKS ARE TO BE REDEVELOPED BY THE HOUSING DEPARTMENT, THIS SOURCE OF POLLUTION WILL BE LARGELY REMOVED IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
ALSO UNDER STAGE ONE, THREE PUMPING STATIONS AND ASSOCIATED SEWERS HAVE BEEN BUILT TO DIVERT POLLUTED DRY-WEATHER FLOW FROM THE STORM WATER DRAINS INTO THE SEWER SYSTEM. THIS PREVENTS
IT BEING DISCHARGED INTO THE TYPHOON SHELTER.
ONE OF THE PUMPING STATIONS IS ALREADY IN OPERATION AND
THE OTHER TWO WILL BE COMMISSIONED SHORTLY.
ALREADY COMPLETED LAST YEAR WAS A MAJOR SEWER CROSS ING AT JORDAN NULLAH IN KWUN TONG ROAD TO IMPROVE SEWER HYDRAULICS AND PREVENT SEWAGE OVERFLOWING INTO THE NULLAH.
THE FINAL PART OF STAGE ONE IS THE INSTALLATION OF MECHANICAL SCREENS AT PUMPING STATION NO. 2 AT YUK KWAN STREET TO REMOVE FLOATING REFUSE IN THE KAI TAK NULLAH. THESE SHOULD BE IN OPERATION AROUND AUGUST.
PARALLEL WITH STAGE ONE HAS BEEN WORK ON THE $35 MILLION STAGE TWO OF THE ANTI-POLLUTION ACTION. STARTED IN 1984, AND EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, THE WORK IS AIMED AT OVERCOMING THE PROBLEM OF SEDIMENT AND LACK OF OXYGEN IN THE WATER.
ALREADY, BETWEEN DECEMBER 1984 AND MARCH 1985, 500 000 CUBIC METRES OF ORGANIC SEDIMENT HAS BEEN DREDGED FROM THE TYPHOON SHELTER.
THE NEXT PHASE OF STAGE TWO, NOW UNDERWAY, IS THE INSTALLATION OF OXYGEN INJECTION EQUIPMENT. OXYGENATION OF THE WATER IS EXPECTED TO START IN SEPTEMBER.
A THIRD STAGE, COSTING $30 MILLION, HAS ALREADY BEEN PLANNED. THIS WOULD CONSIST OF FURTHER DREDGING OF ORGANIC SEDIMENT FROM THE TYPHOON SHELTER AND INSTALLATION OF MACHINES TO AERATE THE SURFACE WATER IN THE SHELTER CHANNEL.
HOWEVER,
:~ 15 HOPED THAT STAGES ONE ANI THE MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO OVERCOME THE PROBLEM, AND 30 A DECISION ON WHETHER TO IMPLEMENT STAGE THREE WILL BE MADE EARLY NEXT YEAR.
MEANWHILE, THE CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES DEPARTMENT REGULARLY DESILTS THE NULLAHS TO MAINTAIN A SMOOTH FLOW AND PREVENT THE WATER IN THEM BECOMING STAGNANT. IN 1984, 11 500 CUBIC METRES OF SILT WAS REMOVED FROM THE NULLAHS AND IN 1985 THE TOTAL WAS 17 500 CUBIC METRES.
..CR