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FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1988
IMPORTANCE OF SEWAGE DISPOSAL WORK EMPHASISED
H
WARNING THAT "IF WE MISUSE THE VALUABLE ASSET OF THE NATURAL WATERS SURROUNDING HONG KONG, IT WOULD PAY US BACK IN KIND, THE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, DR STUART REED, TODAY (FRIDAY) TOLD MEMBERS OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF KOWLOON NORTH OF THE ACTION BEING TAKEN BY HIS DEPARTMENT TO SAFEGUARD WHAT HE REFERRED TO AS "PROBABLY HONG KONG'S MOST IMPORTANT NATURAL ASSET THE SEA AROUND US.
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HE SAID THE WORK WAS AIMED AT FIRSTLY GETTING THE SEWAGE AND INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENTS INTO THE FOUL SEWERS AND SECONDLY MAKING SURE THE CONTENTS OF THESE SEWERS WERE DISPOSED OF IN AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SATISFACTORY MANNER.
THAT
SHORT-TERM ACTION WAS BRING TAKEN BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DETPARTMENT (EPD) AND THE BUILDINGS ORDINANCE OFFICE TO REDIRECT SOME INDUSTRIAL EFFLUENTS FROM THE SURFACE WATER DRAINS INTO THE SEWERS AND THIS WAS MEETING WITH SOME SUCCESS, HE SAID.
ALSO, A CLAMP-DOWN WAS PLANNED TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE OF PACKAGE SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS THAT HAD BEEN PROVIDED FOR INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENTS BUT WHICH WERE NOT SUFFICIENTLY WELL OPERATED OR MAINTAINED.
IN THIS CONNECTION, THE EPD HAD PROPOSED THAT THE SOUTH OF HONG KONG ISLAND BE DECLARED AS THE NEXT WATER CONTROL ZONE. IF THIS WERE AGREED, IMPLEMENTATION WOULD BE FOR DOMESTIC SEWAGE DISCHARGES ONLY, BECAUSE A PREVIOUS UNDERTAKING HAD BEEN GIVEN TO THE OMELCO NOT ΤΟ DECLARE ANY FURTHER ZONES, PENDING A REVIEW OF ENFORCEMENT EXPERIENCE IN THE TOLO CONTROL ZONE, IN ORDER ΤΟ TAKE ACCOUNT OF PRESSURE FROM INDUSTRIALISTS.
"THE ACTION AIMED AT IMPROVING THE SEWERAGE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE IN THE LONGER TERM IS BASED ON THE PREPARATION OF SEWERAGE MASTER PLANS FOR BOTH THE OLD URBAN AREAS AND FOR UNSEWERED AREAS", SAID.
DR REED
"WE STARTED WORK ON THE SEWERAGE MASTER PLAN FOR EAST KOWLOON IN JANUARY LAST YEAR AND WE HOPE TO START ON A MASTER PLAN FOR THE SOUTH OF HONG KONG ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS YEAR, AND OTHERS ARB IN THE PIPELINE.
"THIS WORK IS AIMED AT GETTING ALL OUR SEWAGE AND WASTEWATERS IT IS INTO THE BIG PIPES, THE PROBLEM IS THEN, HOW TO GET RID OF IT. OVER 17 YEARS SINCE WE CARRIED OUT A REVIEW OF THE BEST WAY TO DISPOSE OF OUR LIQUID WASTES AND WORK STARTED THIS WEEK TO DO JUST THIS.'
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AT
THE
BEGINNING
OF
/DR REED