XN000022-1985-06-07 — Page 26

FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 1985

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700 000 NEW PLANTS FOR NON-URBAN AREAS

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THE REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT WILL PLANT SOME 700 000 TREES, SHRUBS, CLIMBERS, GROUND COVERS AND SEASONAL FLOWERS IN THE NON-URBAN AREAS DURING THE CURRENT PLANTING SEASON.

THIS IS 100 000 MORE THAN THE NUMBER PLANTED LAST YEAR IN VARIOUS PARKS, PLAYGROUNDS, AMENITY PLOTS, SITTING-OUT AREAS AND ROADSIDE HEDGES MANAGED BY THE RSD.

TO MARK THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR'S PLANTING PROGRAMME THE RSD HELD A TREE-PLANTING CEREMONY IN TSUEN WAN DISTRICT TODAY (FRIDAY). SIMILAR CEREMONIES WILL BE HELD IN THE OTHER EIGHT NON-URBAN DISTRICTS IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

THE TSUEN WAN TREE PLANTING DAY, AIMED AT AROUSING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BEAUTIFYING THE ENVIRONMENT WITH PLANTS AND VEGETATION, WAS HELD AT AN OPEN SPACE AT THE JUNCTION OF CHEUNG PEI SHAN ROAD AND ROUTE TWISK.

SPEAKING AT THE CEREMONY, THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND TRANSPORT AFFAIRS COMMITTEE OF THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT BOARD, MR HO TSE-PING, SAID THE PLANTING OF TREES NOT ONLY COULD BEAUTIFY THE ENVIRONMENT, BUT ALSO MINIMISE NOISE AND DUST NUISANCE.

+WHEN PLANTED ON SLOPES, TREES COULD MINIMISE THE CHANCES OF LANDSLIP AS THEY CAN REGULATE THE WATER CONTENT IN THE SUBSOIL, MR HO SAID.

HE ADDED THAT TREE PLANTING WAS OF SIGNIFICANT IMPORTANCE TO A NEW TOWN LIKE TSUEN WAN WHERE RAPID DEVELOPMENT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS HAS CONVERTED THE NEW TOWN INTO A +CONCRETE JUNGLE+,

HE WAS

TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION, MR HO SAID, ALL CONCERNED DEPARTMENTS INCLUDING THE RSD WILL CONTINUE TO ADD MORE PLANTS AND VEGETATION TO CREATE A GREENER ENVIRONMENT IN THE NEW TOWN.

MR HO LATER PLANTED A YOUNG TREE TO MARK THE EVENT. ACCOMPANIED BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT BOARD, MR CHOW HAU-CHEN, AND THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT LEISURE MANAGER MR WONG SIU-FAI, AND THE TSUEN WAN DISTRICT HYGIENE SUPERINTENDENT, MR WILLIAM KWONG.

ALSO TAKING PART WERE MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY YOUTH CLUB WHO PLANTED 100 TREES OF VARIOUS SPECIES, INCLUDING MELALEUCA LEUCADENDRON, GREVILLEA ROBUSTA, LIQUIDAMBAR FORMOSANA AND TERMINALIA CATAPPA.

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