1991 — Page 94

Urban Council Proceedings 市政局議事錄 All AI Reviewed

Page 94 of 126

167

166

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

However, working in conjunction with the staff of the Department of Health, Urban Services Department regularly monitors the situation by taking samples of sea water for testing by the Government Laboratory from fish tanks or other containers used for keeping live fish and other seafood. District Health Inspectors also regularly advise operators of the importance of thorough washing and cooking of food, including seafood, and warn them that they should refrain from drawing sea water from polluted areas such as the typhoon shelters.

At present, the Department is liaising with other Government departments, such as the Environmental Protection Department and the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, and is seeking their advice on suitable sites for drawing sea water for this purpose and advising on the proper method, if any, of rendering the sea water fit for use. It is intended that once information is available, the Department will issue advisory letters to contractors supplying sea water to restaurants and the licensees of food premises. Thank you.

THE HON. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, the Hong Kong sea waters are heavily polluted, and the Government does not have the money to improve water quality in the near future. We have a lot of vegetable markets and restaurants around polluted areas. I wonder whether the Urban Council can step up its monitoring work so that we will not just address the issue on the Hong Kong Island or the Kowloon Peninsula but also in special areas such as the typhoon shelter in Yau Ma Tei. If the Urban Council or the USD gets the sample from the Government Laboratory and discovers that such fish is not suitable for consumption, I wonder whether the Department can publish such information and also urge the suppliers of sea water and restaurant operators to stop keeping live fish and seafood in sea water or to improve their practices?

MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, Mr. MAN's question is in two parts. The first one is about how we can better monitor the situation. I think Mr. MAN also agrees with me that if we want to find a thorough solution to this problem, the most important thing now is to improve the sewage treatment in Hong Kong and to make sure that the dirty water is discharged properly. I understand that the Government is already launching several big projects in this area. We hope that such projects will be finished as soon as possible to improve the quality of the water. But for short-term measures, I have already mentioned that the USD is already getting samples of sea water for testing. I can inform Mr. MAN that in the past 12 months, we had taken 39 samples from the seafood restaurants, and according to the Government Laboratory, no sample is not up to the UN standard on recreational waters. Actually, the situation is not as bad as we imagine. But, of course, as I mentioned in my answer, if the problem gets worse and if we want to step up monitoring, we will certainly consider publicising the names of such seafood restaurants, and I am sure that the concerned Select Committee will have a very thorough discussion on whether such actions are needed.

Page 94 of 126

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

THE HON. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): A very simple question. The information says that in the past twelve months, we got 39 samples, and they are up to the standard of the UN standard on recreational water. But I think recreational water would not be consumed, but we are talking about seafood and live fish caught in seawater. So, I wonder whether the standard used is the correct one?

MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, quite unfortunately, the WHO or any health organizations in the world do not really have any standard requirement for the biochemical contents of water. But certainly, through the Department of Health, we would seek more information from the WHO and other international health organizations. Right now, we simply do not have an international standard to control over this aspect.

MISS CHRISTINE TING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, in Eastern District, we are particularly concerned about this, and some of the members took some of these photos. I would like to ask Mr. PAO, close by the typhoon shelter, there are people taking seawater to be used by some restaurants and markets. So, if we know that people are taking seawater from places close to these nullahs, what action will the Department take?

MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, in my answer, I have already mentioned that under the existing Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, we have no provision to control this area. In other words, we have no power to prosecute such people unless we can establish the link between food poisoning and the consumption of seafood kept in fish tanks using such seawater. Otherwise, we simply cannot do anything against these operators at the present moment.

MR. SAN STEPHEN WONG HON-CHING (in Cantonese): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. MAN has already asked a question concerning the standard of water for recreational use. I would not like to repeat the question.

DR. LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, thank you. If seawater is polluted and if you consume such seawater, naturally you would fall sick. But if you use the polluted water to keep fish, it is doubtful whether you would fall sick after eating such seafood. I think this is a scientific question. We can't expect an answer right away, and we can't draw an equal sign between seawater and seafood kept in seawater. My question is: do USD and the Department of Health have a specific section to do research work in this area?

MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, according to the information available to me, the Department of Health, the USD, and EPD are already finding sites suitable for drawing seawater. There is a specific unit making a study on the proper use of seawater. Perhaps, the Public Health Select Committee, after thorough discussion, can ask the USD and the concerned departments to let us know some more details concerning this particular issue, i.e., a scientific study as mentioned by Dr. LEUNG.

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Page 94 of 126 167 166 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL However, working in conjunction with the staff of the Department of Health, Urban Services Department regularly monitors the situation by taking samples of sea water for testing by the Government Laboratory from fish tanks or other containers used for keeping live fish and other seafood. District Health Inspectors also regularly advise operators of the importance of thorough washing and cooking of food, including seafood, and warn them that they should refrain from drawing sea water from polluted areas such as the typhoon shelters. At present, the Department is liaising with other Government departments, such as the Environmental Protection Department and the Agriculture and Fisheries Department, and is seeking their advice on suitable sites for drawing sea water for this purpose and advising on the proper method, if any, of rendering the sea water fit for use. It is intended that once information is available, the Department will issue advisory letters to contractors supplying sea water to restaurants and the licensees of food premises. Thank you. THE HON. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, the Hong Kong sea waters are heavily polluted, and the Government does not have the money to improve water quality in the near future. We have a lot of vegetable markets and restaurants around polluted areas. I wonder whether the Urban Council can step up its monitoring work so that we will not just address the issue on the Hong Kong Island or the Kowloon Peninsula but also in special areas such as the typhoon shelter in Yau Ma Tei. If the Urban Council or the USD gets the sample from the Government Laboratory and discovers that such fish is not suitable for consumption, I wonder whether the Department can publish such information and also urge the suppliers of sea water and restaurant operators to stop keeping live fish and seafood in sea water or to improve their practices? MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, Mr. MAN's question is in two parts. The first one is about how we can better monitor the situation. I think Mr. MAN also agrees with me that if we want to find a thorough solution to this problem, the most important thing now is to improve the sewage treatment in Hong Kong and to make sure that the dirty water is discharged properly. I understand that the Government is already launching several big projects in this area. We hope that such projects will be finished as soon as possible to improve the quality of the water. But for short-term measures, I have already mentioned that the USD is already getting samples of sea water for testing. I can inform Mr. MAN that in the past 12 months, we had taken 39 samples from the seafood restaurants, and according to the Government Laboratory, no sample is not up to the UN standard on recreational waters. Actually, the situation is not as bad as we imagine. But, of course, as I mentioned in my answer, if the problem gets worse and if we want to step up monitoring, we will certainly consider publicising the names of such seafood restaurants, and I am sure that the concerned Select Committee will have a very thorough discussion on whether such actions are needed. Page 94 of 126 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL THE HON. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): A very simple question. The information says that in the past twelve months, we got 39 samples, and they are up to the standard of the UN standard on recreational water. But I think recreational water would not be consumed, but we are talking about seafood and live fish caught in seawater. So, I wonder whether the standard used is the correct one? MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, quite unfortunately, the WHO or any health organizations in the world do not really have any standard requirement for the biochemical contents of water. But certainly, through the Department of Health, we would seek more information from the WHO and other international health organizations. Right now, we simply do not have an international standard to control over this aspect. MISS CHRISTINE TING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, in Eastern District, we are particularly concerned about this, and some of the members took some of these photos. I would like to ask Mr. PAO, close by the typhoon shelter, there are people taking seawater to be used by some restaurants and markets. So, if we know that people are taking seawater from places close to these nullahs, what action will the Department take? MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, in my answer, I have already mentioned that under the existing Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, we have no provision to control this area. In other words, we have no power to prosecute such people unless we can establish the link between food poisoning and the consumption of seafood kept in fish tanks using such seawater. Otherwise, we simply cannot do anything against these operators at the present moment. MR. SAN STEPHEN WONG HON-CHING (in Cantonese): Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. MAN has already asked a question concerning the standard of water for recreational use. I would not like to repeat the question. DR. LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, thank you. If seawater is polluted and if you consume such seawater, naturally you would fall sick. But if you use the polluted water to keep fish, it is doubtful whether you would fall sick after eating such seafood. I think this is a scientific question. We can't expect an answer right away, and we can't draw an equal sign between seawater and seafood kept in seawater. My question is: do USD and the Department of Health have a specific section to do research work in this area? MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, according to the information available to me, the Department of Health, the USD, and EPD are already finding sites suitable for drawing seawater. There is a specific unit making a study on the proper use of seawater. Perhaps, the Public Health Select Committee, after thorough discussion, can ask the USD and the concerned departments to let us know some more details concerning this particular issue, i.e., a scientific study as mentioned by Dr. LEUNG. Page 94 of 126

Baseline (Original)

Page 94 of 126 Page 94 of 126 167 166 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL However, working in conjunction with the staff of the Department of Health, Urban Services Department regularly monitors the situation by taking samples of sea water for testing by the Government Laboratory from fish tanks or other containers used for keeping live fish and other seafood. District Health Inspectors also regularly advise operators of importance of thorough washing and cooking of food including seafood and warn them that they should refrain from drawing sea water from polluted areas such as the typhoon shelters. At present, the Department is liaising with other Government departments such as the Environmental Protection Department and the Agriculture and Fisheries Department and is seeking their advice on suitable sites for drawing sea water for this purpose and advise on the proper method, if any, of rendering the sea water fit for use. It is intended that once information is available, the Department will issue advisory letters to contractors supplying sea water to restaurants and the licensees of food premises. Thank you. THE HON. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, the Hong Kong sea waters are heavily polluted and the Government does not have the money to improve water quality in the near future. We have a lot of vegetable markets and restaurants around polluted areas. I wonder whether the Urban Council can step up its monitoring work so that we will not just address the issue on the Hong Kong Island or the Kowloon Peninsula but also to special area such as the typhoon shelter in Yau Ma Tei. If the Urban Council or the USD gets the sample from the Government Laboratory and discover that such fish is not suitable for consumption, I wonder whether the Department can publish such information and also urge the suppliers of sea water and restaurant operators to stop keeping live fish and seafood in sea water or to improve their practices? MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese):---Mr. Chairman, Mr. MAN's question is in two parts. The first one is about how we can better monitor the situation. I think Mr. MAN also agrees with me that if we want to find a thorough solution to this problem, the most important thing now is to improve the sewage treatment in Hong Kong and to make sure that the dirty water is discharged properly. I understand that the Government is already launching several big projects in this area. We hope that such projects will be finished as soon as possible to improve the quality of the water. But for short term measures, I have already mentioned that the USD is already getting samples of sea water for testing. I can inform Mr. MAN that in the past 12 months, we had taken 39 samples from the seafood restaurants and according to the Government Laboratory, no sample is not up to the UN standard on recreational waters. Actually the situation is not as bad as we imagine. But of course, as I mentioned in my answer, if the problem gets worse and if we want to step up monitoring, we will certainly consider publicising the names of such seafood restaurants and I am sure that the concerned Select Committee will have a very thorough discussion on whether such actions are needed. Page 94 of 126 HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL THE HON. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): A very simple question. The information says that in the past twelve months, we got 39 samples and they are up to standard of the UN standard on recreational water. But I think recreational water would not be consumed but we are talking about seafood and live fish caught in seawater. So I wonder whether the standard used is the correct one? MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, quite unfortunately, the WHO or any health organizations in the world do not really have any standard requirement of this biochemical contents of water. But certainly, through the Department of Health, we would seek more information from the WHO and other international health organizations. Right now, we simply do not have an international standard to control over this aspect. MISS CHRISTINE TING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, in Eastern District, we are particularly concerned about this and some of the members took some of these photos. I would like to ask Mr. PAO, close by the typhoon shelter, there are people taking seawater to be used by some restaurants and markets. So if we know that people are taking seawater from places close to these nullahs, what action will the Department take? MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, in my answer, I have already mentioned that under the existing Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, we have no provision to control this area. In other words, we have no power to prosecute such people unless we can establish the link between food poisoning and the consumption of seafood kept in fish tanks using such seawater. Otherwise, we simply cannot do anything against these operators at the present moment. MR. SAN STEPHEN WONG HON-CHING (in Cantonese):-Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. MAN has already asked a question concerning the standard of water for recreational use. I would not like to repeat the question. DR. LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, thank you. If seawater is polluted and if you consume such seawater, naturally you would fall sick. But if you use the polluted water to keep fish, it is doubtful whether you would fall sick after eating such seafood. I think this is a scientific question. We can't expect an answer right away and we can't draw an equal sign between seawater and seafood kept in seawater. My question is: do USD and the Department of Health have a specific section to do research work in this area? MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, according to the information available to me, the Department of Health, the USD and EPD are already finding site suitable for drawing of seawater. There is a specific unit making study on the proper use of seawater. Perhaps, the Public Health Select Committee after thorough discussion, can ask the USD and the concerned departments to let us know some more details concerning this particular issue, i.e. a scientific study as mentioned by Dr. LEUNG. Page 94 of 126

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Page 94 of 126

167

166

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

However, working in conjunction with the staff of the Department of Health, Urban Services Department regularly monitors the situation by taking samples of sea water for testing by the Government Laboratory from fish tanks or other containers used for keeping live fish and other seafood. District Health Inspectors also regularly advise operators of importance of thorough washing and cooking of food including seafood and warn them that they should refrain from drawing sea water from polluted areas such as the typhoon shelters.

At present, the Department is liaising with other Government departments such as the Environmental Protection Department and the Agriculture and Fisheries Department and is seeking their advice on suitable sites for drawing sea water for this purpose and advise on the proper method, if any, of rendering the sea water fit for use. It is intended that once information is available, the Department will issue advisory letters to contractors supplying sea water to restaurants and the licensees of food premises. Thank you.

THE HON. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, the Hong Kong sea waters are heavily polluted and the Government does not have the money to improve water quality in the near future. We have a lot of vegetable markets and restaurants around polluted areas. I wonder whether the Urban Council can step up its monitoring work so that we will not just address the issue on the Hong Kong Island or the Kowloon Peninsula but also to special area such as the typhoon shelter in Yau Ma Tei. If the Urban Council or the USD gets the sample from the Government Laboratory and discover that such fish is not suitable for consumption, I wonder whether the Department can publish such information and also urge the suppliers of sea water and restaurant operators to stop keeping live fish and seafood in sea water or to improve their practices?

MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese):---Mr. Chairman, Mr. MAN's question is in two parts. The first one is about how we can better monitor the situation. I think Mr. MAN also agrees with me that if we want to find a thorough solution to this problem, the most important thing now is to improve the sewage treatment in Hong Kong and to make sure that the dirty water is discharged properly. I understand that the Government is already launching several big projects in this area. We hope that such projects will be finished as soon as possible to improve the quality of the water. But for short term measures, I have already mentioned that the USD is already getting samples of sea water for testing. I can inform Mr. MAN that in the past 12 months, we had taken 39 samples from the seafood restaurants and according to the Government Laboratory, no sample is not up to the UN standard on recreational waters. Actually the situation is not as bad as we imagine. But of course, as I mentioned in my answer, if the problem gets worse and if we want to step up monitoring, we will certainly consider publicising the names of such seafood restaurants and I am sure that the concerned Select Committee will have a very thorough discussion on whether such actions are needed.

Page 94 of 126

HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

THE HON. MAN SAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): A very simple question. The information says that in the past twelve months, we got 39 samples and they are up to standard of the UN standard on recreational water. But I think recreational water would not be consumed but we are talking about seafood and live fish caught in seawater. So I wonder whether the standard used is the correct one?

MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, quite unfortunately, the WHO or any health organizations in the world do not really have any standard requirement of this biochemical contents of water. But certainly, through the Department of Health, we would seek more information from the WHO and other international health organizations. Right now, we simply do not have an international standard to control over this aspect.

MISS CHRISTINE TING (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, in Eastern District, we are particularly concerned about this and some of the members took some of these photos. I would like to ask Mr. PAO, close by the typhoon shelter, there are people taking seawater to be used by some restaurants and markets. So if we know that people are taking seawater from places close to these nullahs, what action will the Department take?

MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, in my answer, I have already mentioned that under the existing Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance, we have no provision to control this area. In other words, we have no power to prosecute such people unless we can establish the link between food poisoning and the consumption of seafood kept in fish tanks using such seawater. Otherwise, we simply cannot do anything against these operators at the present moment.

MR. SAN STEPHEN WONG HON-CHING (in Cantonese):-Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. MAN has already asked a question concerning the standard of water for recreational use. I would not like to repeat the question.

DR. LEUNG PING-CHUNG (in Cantonese): Mr. Chairman, thank you. If seawater is polluted and if you consume such seawater, naturally you would fall sick. But if you use the polluted water to keep fish, it is doubtful whether you would fall sick after eating such seafood. I think this is a scientific question. We can't expect an answer right away and we can't draw an equal sign between seawater and seafood kept in seawater. My question is: do USD and the Department of Health have a specific section to do research work in this area?

MR. PAO PING-WING (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, according to the information available to me, the Department of Health, the USD and EPD are already finding site suitable for drawing of seawater. There is a specific unit making study on the proper use of seawater. Perhaps, the Public Health Select Committee after thorough discussion, can ask the USD and the concerned departments to let us know some more details concerning this particular issue, i.e. a scientific study as mentioned by Dr. LEUNG.

1991 — Page 94

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