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MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English):-Mr. Chairman, can Dr. LEUNG confirm that these leaflets and posters are widely distributed to all multi-storey buildings and Mutual Aid Committees or only on request? To what extent is it distributed or is it distributed as widely as possible as far as you know?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in Cantonese):-The District Health Inspectors of USD take the initiative to distribute these leaflets and posters to multi-storey buildings and the distributions are not done upon request. Regarding whether the distribution is wide or not, I think it is quite difficult to define because I am not sure whether all multi-storey buildings have received such posters or not. But I think the District Health Inspectors of USD always endeavour to distribute the publications as widely as possible.
4. MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question (in English):—To what extent is the Urban Council involved in keeping the harbour clean, and in view of much criticism by the public regarding the filthy state of the harbour, which is one of Hong Kong's greatest and natural attractions, can further representations be made to Government to give the Urban Council a more active role in keeping the harbour clean and more attractive?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):—The question consists of two parts: firstly, to what extent is the Urban Council involved in keeping the harbour clean, and, secondly, whether the Urban Council can make further representations to Government asking for a more active role in keeping the harbour clean.
Regarding the first part of the question, at present the Municipal Services Branch is the policy branch for floating refuse (marine refuse) in the harbour and the Marine Department has the responsibility for collecting marine refuse. The Urban Services Department, on behalf of Council, has the responsibility for preventing refuse on land being washed down into the harbour, and it carries out this responsibility by:
(a) Taking enforcement action against littering in public places, beaches and waters of Hong Kong.
(b) Maintaining regular cleansing of gullies flowing into the harbour. This includes the daily removal of about 1.5 tonnes of debris from the Kai Tak Nullah.
(c) Improving refuse collection in squatter areas. This is conducted jointly with the Housing Department through the Squatter Area Improvement Scheme.
(d) Being vigilant on refuse control in market areas, especially those near the waterfront. There are proper RCPs being incorporated in all UC new markets.
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(e) Providing supervision over the cleansing services rendered by a private contractor to the urban Public Cargo Working Areas under the control of the Marine Department.
(f) Rendering assistance to the Marine Department by providing additional waterfront refuse collection points for the reception of marine refuse. In the field of public education the Council has taken a major role in the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign. In 1988-89 the Campaign included two activities designed to help keep the harbour clean namely the Clean Beach Phase (July and September) and Clean Harbour Phase (April to August). During the Clean Beach Phase, beach goers were advised to refrain from littering the beaches and to dispose of their litter in litter bins. Joint clean-up operations were also mounted with Marine Department during the Clean Harbour Phase to clean up the breadwaters and floating refuse at all typhoon shelters. These operations were supplemented by wide publicity through Announcement of Public Interest (API) on TVs, posters and press releases. Similar activities are planned for the 1989-90 Campaign.
Regarding the second part of the question, the proposal that the Urban Council should take over marine refuse collection was discussed in various meetings with Government, in the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee and in the Keep Hong Kong Clean Sub-Committee of the Urban Council in 1983-1985, vide Committee Paper ENH/212/83 (3.4.83) and ENH/33/85 (3.7.85). Regarding the taking over of the collection and scavenging service of the harbour, the department presented the following views to the then members of ENHSC:
(1) Pros
Co-ordination of the delivery of the refuse collected from the harbour to the RCPS OR RCVS would be improved; and a higher standard of scavenging and collection services might possibly be achieved;
(2) Cons
Although the department had expertise in planning, organizing and supervising the scavenging and collection of refuse on land, such expertise was not in any way applicable to marine refuse. The Department would be placed at a serious disadvantage because it did not have departmental staff and vessels deployed in the harbour who could assist in the supervision of the scavenging and cleansing fleet; it did not have a radio network for communication between Headquarters and its vessels; it did not have offices at the waterfront that could be used as watchpoints; it had no boats, marine expertise, or boat handling or repair facilities and it could not extend the services to other areas such as Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung which fell outside the jurisdiction of the Urban Council.
In 1983, and again in 1985, therefore, the Department considered that the demerits outweighed the merits and recommended that Marine Department should retain responsibility for water borne refuse.
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MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in English):-Mr. Chairman, can Dr. LEUNG confirm that these leaflets and posters are widely distributed to all multi-storey buildings and Mutual Aid Committees or only on request? To what extent is it distributed or is it distributed as widely as possible as far as you know?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG (in Cantonese):-The District Health Inspectors of USD take the initiative to distribute these leaflets and posters to multi-storey buildings and the distributions are not done upon request. Regarding whether the distribution is wide or not, I think it is quite difficult to define because I am not sure whether all multi-storey buildings have received such posters or not. But I think the District Health Inspectors of USD always endeavour to distribute the publications as widely as possible.
4. MR. HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question (in English):—To what extent is the Urban Council involved in keeping the harbour clean, and in view of much criticism by the public regarding the filthy state of the harbour, which is one of Hong Kong's greatest and natural attractions, can further representations be made to Government to give the Urban Council a more active role in keeping the harbour clean and more attractive?
DR. RONALD D. B. LEUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):—The question consists of two parts: firstly, to what extent is the Urban Council involved in keeping the harbour clean, and, secondly, whether the Urban Council can make further representations to Government asking for a more active role in keeping the harbour clean.
Regarding the first part of the question, at present the Municipal Services Branch is the policy branch for floating refuse (marine refuse) in the harbour and the Marine Department has the responsibility for collecting marine refuse. The Urban Services Department, on behalf of Council, has the responsibility for preventing refuse on land being washed down into the harbour, and it carries out this responsibility by:
(a) Taking enforcement action against littering in public places, beaches and
waters of Hong Kong.
(b) Maintaining regular cleansing of gullies flowing into the harbour. This includes the daily removal of about 1.5 tonnes of debris from the Kai Tak Nullah.
(c) Improving refuse collection in squatter areas. This is conducted jointly with the Housing Department through the Squatter Area Improvement Scheme.
(d) Being vigilant on refuse control in market areas, especially those near the waterfront. There are proper RCPs being incorporated in all UC new markets.
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(e) Providing supervision over the cleansing services rendered by a private contractor to the urban Public Cargo Working Areas under the control of the Marine Department.
(f) Rendering assistance to the Marine Department by providing additional waterfront refuse collection points for the reception of marine refuse. In the field of public education the Council has taken a major role in the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign. In 1988-89 the Campaign included two activities designed to help keep the harbour clean namely the Clean Beach Phase (July and September) and Clean Harbour Phase (April to August). During the Clean Beach Phase, beach goers were advised to refrain from littering the beaches and to dispose of their litter in litter bins. Joint clean-up operations were also mounted with Marine Department during the Clean Harbour Phase to clean up the breadwaters and floating refuse at all typhoon shelters. These operations were supplemented by wide publicity through Announcement of Public Interest (API) on TVs, posters and press releases. Similar activities are planned for the 1989-90 Campaign.
Regarding the second part of the question, the proposal that the Urban Council should take over marine refuse collection was discussed in various meetings with Government, in the Environmental Hygiene Select Committee and in the Keep Hong Kong Clean Sub-Committee of the Urban Council in 1983-1985, vide Committee Paper ENH/212/83 (3.4.83) and ENH/33/85 (3.7.85). Regarding the taking over of the collection and scavenging service of the harbour, the department presented the following views to the then members of ENHSC:
(1) Pros
Co-ordination of the delivery of the refuse collected from the harbour to the RCPS OR RCVS would be improved; and a higher standard of scavenging and collection services might possibly be achieved;
(2) Cons
Although the department had expertise in planning, organizing and supervising the scavenging and collection of refuse on land, such expertise was not in any way applicable to marine refuse. The Department would be placed at a serious disadvantage because it did not have departmental staff and vessels deployed in the harbour who could assist in the supervision of the scavenging and cleansing fleet; it did not have a radio nedwork for communication between Headquarters and its vessels; it did not have offices at the waterfront that could be used as watchpoints; it had no boats, marine expertise, or boat handling or repair facilities and it could not extend the services to other areas such as Tsuen Wan and Kwai Chung which fell outside the jurisdiction of the Urban Council.
In 1983, and again in 1985, therefore, the Department considered that the demerits outweighed the merits and recommended that Marine Department should retain responsibility for water borne refuse.
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.