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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 1987
GRADUALLY, SIMILAR STUDIES TO REVIEW AND IMPROVE THE EXISTING SYSTEM WOULD BE CARRIED OUT FOR OTHER SEWERAGE CATCHMENT AREAS IN THE URBAN AREA.
MR BARNES POINTED OUT THAT NOWADAYS FOUL WATER SEWERAGE SYSTEMS WERE DESIGNED AND BUILT TO ACCOMMODATE THE PEAK RATE OF WASTE WATER DISCHARGE FROM THE PLANNED MAXIMUM POPULATION AND THE EXPECTED LEVEL OF INDUSTRIAL OR OTHER NON-RESIDENTIAL ACTIVITIES IN THE CATCHMENT AREAS.
+WHEN NEW DEVELOPMENTS ARE PLANNED WHICH WILL BRING THE POPULATION OR THE LEVEL OF INDUSTRIAL OR OTHER NON-RESIDENTIAL ACTIVITIES ABOVE THE ORIGINAL PLANNED LEVEL, THE CAPACITY OF THE SEWERAGE SYSTEMS NEEDS TO BE ENLARGED TO MEET THE NEW REQUIREMENTS. THE NEED FOR SUCH WORKS IS KEPT UNDER REGULAR REVIEW, + HE SAID.
OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS SOME 30 KILOMETRES OF NEW TRUNK AND BRANCH SEWERS HAD BEEN LAID IN HONG KONG AND KOWLOON BY THE CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES DEPARTMENT AND A FURTHER 22 KILOMETRES OF TRUNK SEWERS WERE NOW UNDER PLANNING OR CONSTUCTION.
BLOCKAGE OF SEWERS WAS A RECURRING PROBLEM IN THE URBANISED AREAS IN THE TERRITORY. THE CIVIL ENGINEERING SERVICES DEPARTMENT MAINTAINED A LABOUR FORCE TO CLEAR SUCH BLOCKAGES THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
THE DEPARTMENT ALSO MANNED A TELEPHONE COMPLAINT HOTLINE THROUGH WHICH THE PUBLIC COULD REPORT CASES OF DRAIN BLOCKAGE.
+IN 1986, ABOUT 47,000 COMPLAINT CASES WERE RECEIVED. THE MAJOR CAUSE OF SUCH BLOCKAGES WAS THE ACCUMULATION OF GREASE AND FOOD REMAINS DISCHARGED FROM FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS AND OF SOLID WASTES FROM STREET HAWKERS, CONSTRUCTION SITES AND INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES, + MR BARNES SAID.
+THE PROBLEM IS CONTAINED AS FAR AS POSSIBLE BY REGULAR INSPECTIONS TO ENSURE THAT GREASE TRAPS IN FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS ARE PROPERLY MAINTAINED AND THE NUMBER OF BLOCKAGES HAS REMAINED STEADY OVER THE PAST YEARS.+
BLOCKAGES IN SEWERS IN PRIVATE STREETS WERE DEALT WITH UNDER THE BUILDINGS ORDINANCE. AN ORDER TO CLEAR THE BLOCKAGE MIGHT BE SERVED ON THE OWNER, IF THE OWNER FAILED TO COMPLY THE WORKS COULD BE CARRIED OUT BY GOVERNMENT AND THE COST RECOVERED FROM THE OWNER LATER ON.
+ IN PREVIOUS YEARS BLOCKAGES IN PRIVATE STREETS WERE QUITE A MAJOR PROBLEM, ESPECIALLY IN SEWERS IN THE BACK LANES OF CENTRAL DISTRICT AND WAN CHAI, BUT I UNDERSTAND THAT STATUTORY ACTION IS NECESSARY MUCH LESS FREQUENTLY NOWADAYS, + MR BARNES SAID.
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