XN000022-1991-12-07 — Page 2

1

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1991

GOVERNOR URGES A CLEANER AND GREENER ENVIRONMENT FOR FUTURE

WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO PASS ON TO FUTURE GENERATIONS AN ENVIRONMENT WHICH IS CLEANER AND GREENER THAN THE ONE WE INHERITED, THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, SAID TODAY (SATURDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGN COMMITTEE'S 500TH TREE PLANTING CEREMONY IN WAN CHAI, THE GOVERNOR SAID THE LAST TWO DECADES HAD SEEN MAJOR CHANGES IN PUBLIC ATTITUDES ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.

"MOST PEOPLE IN HONG KONG NOW SEE THAT THE ENVIRONMENT IS A VITAL PART OF THE COMMUNITY'S HERITAGE," HE ADDED.

SIR DAVID NOTED THAT TWO YEARS AGO THERE WERE NO TREES ON THE STREETS OF WAN CHAI AND IT WAS THE CLOSE CO-OPERATION

THE BETWEEN DISTRICT BOARD AND PRIVATE COMPANIES IN THE DISTRICT THAT RESIDENTS NOW HAD A MUCH GREENER AND MORE PLEASANT ENVIRONMENT.

11

SIR DAVID SAID HE HOPED THE "GREEN WAN CHAI CAMPAIGN WOULD SPREAD TO OTHER URBAN AREAS AND TREES SHOULD BECOME AS FAMILIAR IN THE STREETS AS LAMPPOSTS.

"BY PLANTING TREES IN OUR STREETS, I HOPE WE ARE ALSO PLANTING IDEAS IN THE MINDS OF THE PEOPLE OF HONG KONG THE IDEA THAT OUR ENVIRONMENT MATTERS, THE GOVERNOR SAID.

■

HE ALSO HOPED THAT TREE PLANTING WOULD SPREAD THE IDEA THAT EVERYBODY COULD PLAY A ROLE IN PRESERVING OR IMPROVING THE ENVIRONMENT AND THAT A GREENER HONG KONG WOULD BE A BETTER HONG KONG FOR EVERYBODY WHO LIVED HERE.

SIR DAVID POINTED OUT THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD SET ASIDE THE NECESSARY RESOURCES TO TACKLE THE ENVIRONMENT PROBLEMS.

HE SAID

GOVERNMENT WOULD

IN THE CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR THE SPEND ALMOST $3 BILLION ON CAPITAL WORKS PROJECTS ΤΟ PROTECT AND IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT.

THE

ΤΟ

THE

BILLION GOVERNMENT WAS ALSO EARMARKING A FURTHER $3.7 FUND NEW ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMMES OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, SAID

CITING THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES OF THE MASSIVE PROJECTS GOVERNOR WERE UNDERWAY:

WHICH

THE $1.4 BILLION SIX-YEAR PROGRAMME TO CLEAN UP TOLO HARBOUR WAS NOW APPROACHING THE HALF-WAY STAGE.

BILLION NORTH WEST

A $1.3

KOWLOON SEWAGE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL SCHEME WOULD BE COMPLETED NEXT YEAR.

THE NORTH WEST NEW TERRITORIES SEWAGE TREATMENT SCHEME, COSTING $1.2

FOR BILLION, WAS ON SCHEDULE

COMPLETION

IN

1995.

/THE GOVERNOR