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Task force geared up to tackle environmental black spots
New Territories residents as well as land owners and operators are urged to give full co-operation to the Lands Department's Black Spots Task Force in cleaning up the environment in the New Territories.
The plea was made today (Saturday) by Dr Samuel Wong, chairman of the special committee set up to advise the Government on matters relating to environmental black spots, and to oversee the work of the task force.
After making his first official site inspection of black spots in northwest New Territories, Dr Wong said: "Cleaning up the black spots in the New Territories is not just an environmental conservation issue. It also has an important bearing on improving the environment in general and the quality of life in particular."
Dr Wong said enforcement actions under the current legislation must be stepped up with a view to terminating the unauthorised developments on crown land, followed by appropriate reinstatement work, such as landscaping.
"Lease enforcement actions should also be taken against those operations that have illegal structures on site, while dialogue with the relevant land owners and operators on ways to improve the environmental impact of their operations should be established.
"However, permission given for operation on land under government control should be terminated if the operation cannot be improved," Dr Wong added.
He acknowledged that it would require time and sufficient manpower to carry out clearance operations, but action must be taken now to tackle the problem.
Head of the task force, Mr Allan Hay, said because of limited resources, it was now concentrating its actions in Pat Heung and Ha Tsuen, where the black spots were inspected today by members of the special committee.
Describing the extent of the problem his staff of about 100 would have to deal with, Mr Hay said: "Over the past 10 years, there has been a proliferation of conversion of agricultural land into open storage yards and other similar unauthorised uses in the rural New Territories, such as car wrecking operations.
"Although this haphazard development is largely a response to legitimate economic pressures, it has led to widespread degradation of the countryside.