TNAG-1980-FCO40-2813-Pollution-in-Hong-Kong-1989 — Page 39

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connection

of

and

restaurants

of

to

wastewater discharges from industry,

residential accommodation directly

stormwater sew ers instead of to fou 1 sew ers. Thus, instead

reasonably clean storm water being discharged harmlessly

at seawalls or even into typhoon shelters, heavily polluted

wastewater is discharged, giving rise to the black water

and familiar stink in Kowloon Bay, the Yau Ma Tei and

Causeway Bay typhoon shelters and e ls ewhere.

In some

catchment areas as mu ch as 90% of the wastewater

the storm water drainage system instead of the

and 50% is quite common in other catchments.

sew age

enters

sew ers,

3.17

Another

reason for the deterioration of our

inland waters is that substantial areas of the Territory,

such as the south of Hong Kong Island and the Clearwater

Bay area, have been developed without the provision of

mains s ew erage. The requirement that developments in these

areas should be

provided with package sewage treatment

plants, has not

in practice served as a satisfactory

to ma ins

sew erage.

An EP D survey

has shown

that more than 80% of

these pa ckaged s ewage treat ment

plants do not meet the required effluent standards. The

plants are

maintained and are generally operated by

alternative

seldom

inexperienced staff.

3.18

The fact that the WPCO is in force in only two

out of the ten Water Control Zones makes it all the more

difficult to deal with the problems arising from illegal

wastewater discharges to

the

stormwater

drains and the

ma lfunctioning of packaged sewage treatment plants. Also,

WPCO itself is not as comprehensive or as stringent as

should

For exa mp le, dischargers can obtain

exemption for their existing discharges and ma y

increase the amount of discharge by up to 30%. Also,

it

be.

even

there

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