TNAG-1856-FCO40-2631-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-memoranda-and-minutes-of-me-1989 — Page 150

HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

28 June 1989

香港立法局

————一九八九年六月二十八日

14

Smell from nullahs

4. MR. POON CHI-FAI asked: Since the pungent smell from some nullahs has seriously affected environmental health and people's daily life, will Government inform this Council:

(1) the number of such nullahs in Hong Kong and their location;

(2) whether there is any plan to deck all these nullahs; if so, the

commencement and the completion dates of such works;

(3) what interim measures are available in summer to minimize the nuisance

caused to the public; and

(4) what specific solution is in hand to solve the problems, taking the two nullahs at Jordan Valley and Tsui Ping Road in Kwun Tong as an example?

SECRETARY FOR LANDS AND WORKS: Sir, there are 24 major nullahs in Hong Kong, 16 in the New Territories and eight in the urban area. Eight of these cause a smell nuisance, four in the New Territories and four in Kowloon. These eight nullahs are:

(a) New Territories: the Yuen Long Nullahs, the Tuen Mun Nullah, the

Fo Tan Nullah and the Sham Tseng Western Nullah.

(b) Kowloon: the Mong Kok Road Nullah, the Tai Hang Tung Nullah, the

Jordan Valley Nullah and the Kai Tak Nullah.

There is no plan to deck all these nullahs. To do so would be very expensive and would, moreover, make it more difficult and expensive to cleanse and maintain them for the purpose of flood control, which is why the nullahs were built. In addition, decking is not always the most appropriate solution to the smell problem. In Yuen Long for example, a $70 million scheme to reduce the smell and visual impact of the Yuen Long Nullahs has recently been included into the Public Works Programme. This scheme includes desilting, inflatable dams to exclude polluted tidal water from the nullah, stream course lining, and pumping works. These measures are more effective than decking which would cost $200 million to $300 million. However, some nullahs in the urban area have been decked for road widening or to provide amenity space. That part of the Tsui Ping Road nullah north of Kwun Tong Road was decked in 1988 as part of the Tsui Ping Road Estate redevelopment project. A section of

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