XN000022-1983-06-23 — Page 6

THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 1983

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HONG KONG'S FIRST WATER CONTROL ZONE THE TOLO HARBOUR AND CHANNEL WATER CONTROL ZONE WAS DECLARED IN FEBRUARY AND WATER QUALITY OBJECTIVES WERE GAZETTED IN JUNE.

IN DECEMBER, THE COMMITTEE ENDORSED INTERIM LICENSING GUIDELINES FOR THE ZONE WHICH WILL BE USED BY THE CONTROL AUTHORITY FOR LICENSING THE SPECIFIED NEW DISCHARGES.

THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE THE MAKING OF DETAILED REGULATIONS, PREPARATION OF WHICH HAD REACHED AN ADVANCED STAGE, MR LAU SAID.

HE SAID ANOTHER AREA OF PRINCIPAL CONCERN TO HIS COMMITTEE WAS THE DEVELOPMENT OF WASTE DISPOSAL STRATEGIES.

IT HAD TAKEN A CLOSE INTEREST IN THE POSSIBILITIES OF WASTE RECYCLING AND METHODS OF REDUCING WASTE GENERATION AND AT ITS REQUEST, THE EPA IS NOW CONDUCTING A STUDY TO EXAMINE POSSIBLE WAYS OF REDUCING WASTE GENERATION AT SOURCE.

+MEANWHILE, WE WERE BRIEFED ON ALL THE PREPARATORY WORK WHICH IS NOW GOING ON WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT ON THE PREPARATION OF A COMPREHENSIVE WASTE DISPOSAL PLAN.

+THIS WASTE MANAGEMENT PLANNING TOOL WILL SET OUT THE OVERALL PLANNING AND ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL OF ALL WASTES IN HONG KONG, MR LAU SAID.

IN HIS SPEECH TO THE ANNUAL MEETING, WHICH WAS TABLED BECAUSE OF HIS ABSENCE FROM HONG KONG, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AIR POLLUTION, MR WALTER SULKE NOTED THAT ENACTMENT OF THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL ORDINANCE EARLIER THIS YEAR WAS ONLY A BEGINNING.

HE EXPRESSED THE HOPE THAT THE NEXT STEPS, FORMULATION OF DETAILED REGULATIONS AND CODES OF PRACTICE, WOULD NOT TAKE AS LONG AS THE TIME THE BILL ITSELF HAD TAKEN TO BECOME LEGISLATION.

HE SAID HE HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT THERE WAS A FEELING OF APPREHENSION IN SOME QUARTERS THAT THE CONTROLS TO BE DEVELOPED MIGHT PROVE BURDENSOME AND UNDULY OPPRESSIVE TO INDUSTRY.

HE ASSURED THOSE WHO HAD FEARS THAT HE HAD NO INTENTION OF LENDING SUPPORT TO ANY PROPOSALS WHICH ARE PERCEIVED TO BLUNT THE COMPETITIVE EDGE OF HONG KONG PRODUCTS.

+HOWEVER, I WANT TO EMPHASISE THAT WE DO HAVE AN AIR POLLUTION PROBLEM AND THAT THE HEALTH OF OUR POPULATION MUST TAKE PRECEDENCE AND SINCE THIS IS A WORLD-WIDE PROBLEM WHICH IS THE BEGINNING TO BE APPRECIATED ALSO BY OUR COMPETITORS, I DO NOT THINK THAT MONEY SPENT ON POLLUTION CONTROL WILL AFFECT OUR COMPETITIVE STANCE SINCE SIMILAR AMOUNTS OF MONEY WILL HAVE TO BE SPENT ALSO BY OUR COMPETITORS TO KEEP THEIR POPULATIONS HEALTHY, HE SAID.

ON THE VARIOUS PROBLEMS OF AIR POLLUTION WHICH HIS COMMITTEE HAD TACKLED, MR SULKE POINTED OUT THAT LEAD CONTENT IN PETROL WAS NOW REDUCED TO 0,4 GM/L AND RECOMMENDATIONS HAD BEEN MADE FOR A FURTHER REDUCTION IN 1985.

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