XN000022-1980-03-16 — Page 5

SUNDAY, MARCH 16, 1980

CLEAN-UP FOR YUEN LONG RIVER

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GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND THE YUEN LONG DISTRICT ADVISORY BOARD (DAB) ARE TO IMPLEMENT A $900 000 PROJECT TO CLEAN UP THE HUNG SHUI KIU RIVER AND CATCHMENT AREAS IN YUEN LONG DISTRICT.

AN OFFICIAL MEMBER OF YUEN LONG DAB AND THE URBAN SERVICES OFFICER (YUEN LONG), MR MOK LEUNG, SAID TODAY (SUNDAY) THE DAB AND LOCAL DISTRICT OFFICE HAD AWARDED A NUMBER OF CONTRACTS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF REFUSE COLLECTION POINTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE FIRST PHASE OF THE PROJECT WHICH IS EXPECTED TO START IN A FEW WEEKS.

THE FIRST PHASE INCLUDES THE DAILY CLEAN-UP OF A 4.7 KILOMETRE STRETCH OF THE RIVER AND ADJACENT AREAS, AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF 16 BIN SITES AND FOUR REFUSE COLLECTION POINTS TO SERVICE ABOUT 200 FARMS LOCATED IN VILLAGES IN THE VICINITY.

+CLEANING STAFF WILL COLLECT ON A DAILY BASIS REFUSE AND FARM WASTE LEFT AT THE BIN SITES AND REFUSE COLLECTION POINTS BY THE VILLAGERS.

+VEHICLES WILL THEN COLLECT THE REFUSE AND WASTE FOR DISPOSAL. PATHS WILL BE WIDENED TO GIVE THE COLLECTION VEHICLES EASY ACCESS,✦ HE SAID.

MR MOK SAID AN ESTIMATED 18 TONS OF REFUSE AND FARM WASTE, WHICH HAD HITHERTO FOUND ITS WAY INTO THE RIVER AND ON TO THE TWO BANKS, WAS EXPECTED TO BE COLLECTED EACH DAY,

HE SAID THE LARGE AMOUNT OF REFUSE AND FARM WASTE PREVIOUSLY BEING DEPOSITED INTO THE RIVER HAD GREATLY HAMPERED EXISTING CLEANING OF THE RIVER ON A REGULAR BASIS.

THE YUEN LONG DAB HOPED THAT IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT WOULD TACKLE THE PROBLEM AT SOURCE, HE SAID.

THE NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES DEPARTMENT AND THE YUEN LONG DISTRICT OFFICE ARE INVOLVED IN PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTING THE PROJECT.

+ IT IS HOPED THAT THE SECOND PHASE WILL EVENTUALLY COVER THE ENTIRE CATCHMENT AREAS OF THE RIVER, MR MOK SAID.

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