8
MONDAY, JUNE 5, 1989
WHITE PAPER CONFIRMS GOVERNMENT COMMITMENT TO ENVIRONMENT IMPROVEMENT
BY
FAR-REACHING STRATEGIES TO TACKLE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION AT A COST OF OVER $20 BILLION WERE OUTLINED IN A WHITE PAPER RELEASED GOVERNMENT TODAY (MONDAY).
THE DEPUTY SECRETARY (ENVIRONMENT}, LANDS AND WORKS, MR MARTIN LEWIS, SAID THE WHITE PAPER ON POLLUTION WAS NOT PRECEDED BY A GREEN PAPER AS THERE WERE ALREADY MANY PROJECTS AND STRATEGIES IN PROGRESS.
RATHER THAN DELAYING THEM, THE ADMINSTRATION HAD TAKEN THE VIEW THAT A COMPREHENSIVE STATEMENT OF THE CURRENT POSITION, AND THE FIRM INTENTIONS FOR DEALING WITH THE PROBLEMS WOULD BE A BETTER RESPONSE TO THE COMMUNITY'S MOUNTING CONCERN OVER THE DETERIORATING ENVIRONMENT, HE SAID.
HOWEVER, MR LEWIS STRESSED THAT PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE WHITE PAPER'S STRATEGIES WILL STILL BE VERY WELCOME.
"COMMENTS SHOULD BE SENT TO THE SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. AND WE STILL FOLLOW OUR NORMAL CONSULTATIVE PROCESSES WITH THOSE AFFECTED BY ANY NEW STRATEGIES, IN PARTICULAR THE INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENTS, AND THE
COUNCILS OVER THE DRAFT WASTE DISPOSAL PLAN FOR EXAMPLE,
H
MUNICIPAL
MR LEWIS SAID.
"ALL THIS WILL TAKE PLACE WITHIN AN OVERALL FRAMEWORK OF ACTION AND URGENCY, HE ADDED.
t
ON WASTE MANAGEMENT, MR LEWIS SAID THREE LARGE LANDFILLS WOULD BE CONSTRUCTED IN THE NEW TERRITORIES LEADING TO THE EVENTUAL PHASING OUT OF URBAN INCINERATORS.
A CHEMICAL WASTE TREATMENT CENTRE WOULD ALSO BE CONSTRUCTED, AND MOST OF THE 100,000 TONNES OF CHEMICAL WASTE CURRENTLY PRODUCED EACH YEAR WOULD BE TREATED THERE.
TO IMPROVE WATER QUALITY, MR LEWIS SAID THE GOVERNMENT WOULD REVIEW THE ADEQUACY OF THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE COLLECTION, TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL OF SEWAGE. ALSO 21 SEWERAGE MASTER PLANS WOULD SET OUT TO IDENTIFY NEW SEWER CONSTRUCTION WORKS.
"AND WE WILL SHORTLY EXAMINE OUR SEWAGE DISPOSAL OPTIONS ARISING FORM THE CONCLUSIONS OF THE SEWAGE STRATEGY STUDY DUE ΤΟ BE COMPLETED LAST AUGUST,' MR LEWIS ADDED.
"I
HE ALSO SAID THAT IT WAS GOVERNMENT'S INTENTION TO ESTABLISH WATER CONTROL ZONES THROUGHOUT THE TERRITORY SO THAT WE COULD BETTER CONTROL WHAT WAS BEING DISCHARGED INTO THEM.
NEED TO BE
OF
AT
THE WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ORDINANCE WILL ALSO REVIEWED, THE AIM BEING TO REMOVE THE EXEMPTIONS AND THE ALLOWANCE THE 30 PER CENT INCREASE IN DISCHARGE ABOVE THE AMOUNT DISCHARGED THE TIME THE CONTROLS IN A PARTICULAR WATER CONTROL ZONE ARE IMPLEMENTED.
/ON THE