XN000022-1985-11-06 — Page 9

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1985

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INTER IM MEASURES TO TACKLE POLLUTION

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THE GOVERNMENT IS CONSIDERING INTERIM MEASURES TO TACKLE THE AIR POLLUTION PROBLEMS CAUSED BY THE LAI CHI KOK INCINERATORS BY INSTALL ING ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS, THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE, THE HON JOHN CHAMBERS, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

ANSWER ING A QUESTION BY THE HON CHUNG PUI-LAM, MR CHAMBERS SAID THERE WAS ALREADY AN ITEM IN CATEGORY AB OF THE PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMME FOR THE INSTALLATION OF SUCH PRECIPITATORS WHICH WOULD REMOVE MOST OF THE DUST AND GRIT WHICH FORMED THE MAJOR PART OF POLLUTION CAUSED BY THE INCINERATORS.

MR CHAMBERS SAID THESE ELECTROSTATIC PRECIPITATORS WERE EXPENSIVE, ESTIMATED TO COST $130 MILLION.

+THE QUESTION OF WHETHER INTERIM MEASURES INVOLVING COSTS OF THIS MAGNITUDE CAN BE JUSTIFIED HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY DISCUSSED WITHIN THE GOVERNMENT AND I EXPECT AN EARLY DECISION AS TO WHETHER THE UPGRADING OF THE PROJECT SHOULD BE PROPOSED TO THE PUBLIC WORKS SUB-COMMITTEE.

+ IF IT IS DECIDED TO GO AHEAD WITH THE PRECIPITATORS WORK SHOULD START IN THE 1986/87 FINANCIAL YEAR AND SOME IMPROVEMENT WOULD BE ACHIEVED ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AS THE FIRST OF THE TWO PLANTS WOULD BE CLOSED DOWN FOR THE INSTALLATION WORK TO BEGIN. THE WORK SHOULD BE COMPLETED BY 1990, + MR CHAMBERS SAID.

+ON THE OTHER HAND, HE SAID, +A DECISION NOT TO INSTALL PRECIPITATORS AND TO RELY ON TRANSFER STATIONS WOULD MEAN THAT THE INCINERATORS COULD NOT BE CLOSED DOWN UNTIL 1989 AT THE EARLIEST, ALTHOUGH SOME IMPROVEMENT MIGHT BE EFFECTED BEFORE THEN BY THE USE OF BARGES TO TRANSPORT REFUSE TO THE CONTROLLED TIPS.+

MR CHAMBERS SAID THAT IN THE LONGER TERM THE MOST EFFECTIVE SOLUTION WOULD ALMOST CERTAINLY BE THE PHASING OUT OF THE INCINERATORS AND THE CENTRALISATION OF DOMESTIC REFUSE IN ONE OR MORE STRATEGICALLY LOCATED +TRANSFER STATIONS+ FROM WHICH IT WOULD BE TRANSPORTED IN LARGE VEHICLES TO THE CONTROLLED TIPS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.

+AT PRESENT IT IS DIFFICULT TO SAY WHEN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE NEW METHODS WILL HAVE REACHED A STAGE AT WHICH THE INCINERATORS CAN BE CLOSED DOWN PERMANENTLY, HE SAID.

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