XN000022-1993-06-10 — Page 20

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THURSDAY, JUNE 10, 1993

A

GOVERNOR:

THE

WELL, IT'S ALWAYS CHALLENGING QUESTION TO BE ASKED WHETHER WE HAVE DONE ENOUGH, AND I DON'T WANT TO SOUND COMPLACENT, I HOPE THAT WE HAVE DONE ENOUGH. WHAT I WOULD BE VERY HAPPY TO DO, FOR EXAMPLE, IS TO SEND THE HONOURABLE MEMBER A FULL LIST OF ALL THE STRICT PARAMETERS WHICH SOME OF RECENT DREDGING OPERATIONS HAVE HAD TO OBSERVE SO THAT HE KNOWS THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE ASSESSMENTS THAT WE MAKE OF THE LIKELY IMPACT OF DREDGING ACTIVITIES. THE HONOURABLE MEMBER SAID THAT THERE ARE OTHER POSSIBILITIES FOR FINDING THE SOLID, FOR FINDING AN INERT MATERIAL FOR RECLAMATION. THAT'S PERFECTLY TRUE. BUT THE HONOURABLE MEMBER SHOULD PERHAPS BEAR IN MIND HOW SOME ALTERNATIVES COULD AFFECT COST AND THAT SOME ALTERNATIVES WOULD BE NO MORE ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY OR NO LESSER ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY THAN WHAT WE ARE DOING AT THE MOMENT. IT'S NOT AN EASY DECISION. I HOPE WE'VE GOT IT RIGHT AND I CAN ASSURE THE HONOURABLE MEMBER THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO MAKE CAREFUL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTS AND TO POLICE DREDGING WHEN IT TAKES PLACE AS CAREFULLY AS POSSIBLE.

DR CH LEONG: GOVERNOR, YOU MENTIONED THAT YOU'RE MOVING TOWARDS DESIGNATING WATER CONTROL ZONE AND YOU RIGHTLY PUT IT THAT IT TAKES TIME. BUT ARE YOU AWARE OF THE FACT THAT IN THE LAST FEW YRARS THERE'S ALMOST A THREEFOLD INCREASE IN HEPATITIS A IN HONG KONG, AND WE ALL KNOW THAT HEPATITIS A IS A RESULT OF CONTAMINATION OF FOOD, MAINLY THROUGH SEAFOOD AND SHELLFISH. NOW ARE THERE ANY SORT OF SHORT TERM MEASURES THAT THE GOVERNMENT WOULD DO ΤΟ ENSURE THAT THE POLLUTION OF OUR COASTAL WATERS COULD BE CONTROLLED ON THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE? AND I DO FEEL THAT THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT TRAN THE WHITE DOLPHINS, THANK YOU.

GOVERNOR: WELL I DON'T WANT TO BE UNFAIR TO THE WHITE DOLPHINS, BUT I AGREE THAT WE NEED TO THINK EVEN MORE ABOUT OUR OWN HEALTH AND THE HEALTH OF OUR CHILDREN. I THINK WE HAVE TO FACE THE RATHER DEPRESSING FACT THAT IT IS GOING TO TAKE US SOMETIME AND A GOOD DEAL OF EXPENDITURE TO STABILISE OUR WATER QUALITY, LET ALONE TO START TO SER AN IMPROVEMENT. BUT THE EXPECTATION IS THAT THE HPP, THE HIGH PRIORITY PROGRAMME, ON WHICH WE'RE NOW EMBARKED AT A COST OF OVER $7 BILLION, SHOULD REDUCE THE PROBLEMS IN OUR HARBOUR BY 70 PER CENT. WHETHER WHEN THAT HAPPENS BY 1997 OR SHORTLY AFTERWARDS PEOPLE WILL FEEL THAT THEY CAN RETURN TO SWIMMING IN THE HARBOUR IS A NICE QUESTION I'LI. LEAVE TO OTHERS. THERE AREN'T MANY SHORT TERM MEASURES THAT ONE CAN TAKE, I THINK, OUTSIDE THAT PROGRAMME, THOUGH WE DO WHAT WE CAN AND WE WILL PRESS AHRAD WITH COLLECTION AND TREATMENT AND PARTIAL DISPOSAL AS RAPIDLY AS WE CAN. THE TOTAL COST OF DEALING WITH OUR SEWAGE AND WASTE WATER PROBLEMS IS ABOUT $17 BILLION BUT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO MOVR ON ΤΟ THE OCEANIC OUTFALL FOR EXAMPLE UNTIL WE'VE DEALT WITH THE COLLECTION AND EARLY STAGES OF TREATMENT.

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MRS ELSIE TU: THANK YOU MR PRESIDENT. FROM THE GOVERNOR'S ANSWER MARVIN CHRONG I HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT, AND I'D LIKE то ASK YOU GOVERNOR TO CONFIRM THAT IMPRESSION, THAT YOU ARE UNAWARE THAT THE LATEST TYPE OF INCINERATOR CAN REDUCE WASTE, RECYCLE METALS, COULD PRODUCE ITS OWN POWER FOR OPERATION AND IT DOESN'T PRODUCE THE DANGEROUS METHANE GAS FOUND IN LANDFILLS? MAYBR STR YOU WOULD SOMETIME VISIT THE ONE IN JAPAN WHICH IS RIGHT AT A VERY BUSY BUILT-UP ARRA AND PRODUCES NO ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS. IF YOU ARR CONVINCED SIR, MAYBE YOU WOULD JOIN US IN THE LEGCO AND URBAN COUNCIL, PERSUADING THE EPD TO TRY THAT KIND OF INCINERATOR.

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