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Ten-year programme to improve NT degraded areas
The Task Force Black Spots (TFB) of the Lands Department is committed to a 10-year programme to improve the environment of degraded areas in the New Territories.
Since its formation in August 1994, the TFB has successfully cleared a total of 342 sites with a total area of 19.4 hectares of government land, the Government Land Agent/TFB, Mr Allan Hay, said today (Wednesday).
"We work on an intensive action area basis and our continued efforts in cleaning up the environment can be seen at the first open storage action area in Shek Kong Valley along Kam Tin Road, Kam Sheung Road and Fan Kam Road," he said.
A scrap yard would always be a scrap yard, said Mr Hay, but by carrying out the environmental improvement works requested by the TFB, improvements could be made.
"Some 52 or about 20 per cent of the existing use undertakings have so far carried out the in situ environmental improvement works at their own expense upon our requests.
"We have also started work on a second open storage area in North District along Sha Tau Kok Road, Ping Che Road and Lau Shui Heung Road," he said.
Mr Hay also pointed out that with the introduction of a voluntary Code of Practice for container depots in the Ha Tsuen, Lau Fau Shan areas, there had been a reduction of nuisance off-site as well as to adjacent sensitive receivers.
"Stacking height is being confined to not exceeding eight containers. At the same time, access, parking and drainage have been improved, while landscaping and site paving have been carried out wherever possible," he said.
The TFB was set up by the Lands Department in August 1994 with a commitment to deal with the proliferation of conversion of agricultural land into open storage yards and other similar uses in the New Territories prior to 1990.
It reports to a Special Committee on Cleaning up the New Territories. Chaired by Legislative Councillor, Dr Samuel Wong, the Committee advises the Government on all matters relating to the environmental black spots and oversee the task force's work.
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