XN000022-1985-01-09 — Page 42

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY, 1985

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THE CONTROL OF VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING NOISE UNDER THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND URBAN SERVICES ORDINANCE WAS ALSO EFFECTIVE, HE SAID.

BUT THERE WERE OTHER NOISY ACTIVITIES IN HONG KONG WHICH NEEDED TO BE CONTROLLED. SOME IMPROVEMENTS AND RATIONALISATIONS WERE ALSO NEEDED IN THE EXISTING RATHER FRAGMENTED LEGISLATION DEALING WITH NOISE. THE NOISE CONTROL BILL WOULD BE AIMED AT DEAL ING WITH ALL THESE.

MR CHAMBERS SAID IT WAS AS IMPORTANT TO TAKE STEPS AT THE PLANNING STAGE OF PROJECTS TO REDUCE UNNECESSARY NOISE.

+TO THIS END, THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ADVISES GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS ON THE ACOUSTICAL DESIGN OF SUCH PROJECTS AS NEW HOUSING ESTATES, SCHOOLS AND ROADS, HE SAID.

AS FOR EXCESSIVE EXHAUST EMISSIONS FROM MOTOR VEHICLES, HE SAID THERE HAD BEEN 10 581 PROSECUTIONS FOR THIS OFFENCE DURING THE FIRST ELEVEN MONTHS OF 1984. FIGURES FOR DECEMBER WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE.

DEALING WITH ANOTHER POINT, HE SAID IT WAS NOT AN OFFENCE IN LAW FOR DRIVERS TO USE RADIO NETWORKS TO WARN OTHER DRIVERS OF POLICE ROAD BLOCKS.

+THE POLICE ARE, HOWEVER, AWARE OF THIS PRACTICE AND TAKE MEASURES TO LIMIT ITS EFFECTIVENESS, MAINLY BY SHIFTING THE LOCATION OF KERBSIDE CHECKING POINTS, HE SAID.

TURNING TO MR YEUNG'S FINAL QUESTION, HE SAID INDUSTRIAL WASTE WATERS WERE IN GENERAL TREATED AND DISPOSED OF TOGETHER WITH MUNICIPAL SEWAGE. THE CURRENT PROGRAMME FOR THE PROVISION OF TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL FACILITIES FOR THESE COMBINED WASTE WATERS INCLUDED THE CONSTRUCTION OF A TOTAL OF 34 SCREENING PLANTS WITH SUBMARINE OUTFALLS AND TREATMENT PLANTS BETWEEN 1983 AND 1993 AT A COST OF ABOUT $3 200 MILLION.

+ IN ADDITION, WE ARE PLANNING TO INTRODUCE SHORTLY LEGISLATIVE CONTROLS ON THE COMPOSITION OF INDUSTRIAL WASTE WATERS IN SPECIFIC WATER CONTROL ZONES BY MEANS OF REGULATIONS TO BE ENACTED UNDER THE WATER POLLUTION CONTROL ORDINANCE, SPECIFIC CONTROLS ON TOXIC WASTES ARE ALSO UNDER CONSIDERATION, MR CHAMBERS SAID,

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