Page 229 of 606
1006
Page 229 of 606
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PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
following RC's practice of opening the swimming pools to the public by sessions.
Ms. Grace Au Yuk-har asked (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, although the Department will not consider adopting the Regional Council's arrangement of opening the pools by three sessions, would Mr. Ronnie WONG consider the feasibility of a two-session arrangement? If the two-session arrangement was adopted, would the Department further consider the most suitable time for the closing session?
Mr. Ronnie Wong Man-chiu (in Cantonese):—The measure of opening the swimming pools by sessions was adopted as early as the days when I was an athlete. Being aware that the pools are mostly leased to swimming clubs for training purpose during the closing sessions, I doubt very much the kind of work that can be done during these sessions. Nevertheless, I consider that the questions raised by Ms. Au can be referred back to the Department for further assessment and in-depth study on changing the Regional Council's three-session arrangement to a two-session one, so that the merits and demerits of the arrangements will be compared and the overall impact on the services for the public will be assessed. I could ask the Department to make a review and follow up on this point.
MR. FRANCIS TANG CHI-HO (in Cantonese):—I wish to follow up on the reply of the Chairman of the Recreation Select Committee, which said that layers of dirt did accumulate on the surface of the Council's swimming pools, but pointed out that they would not adversely affect the health of human beings and had met the hygienic standard. We also frequently receive complaints from users of roadside swimming pools that there are dead insects floating on the surface. I would like to know how the Department is going to solve this kind of problem. Does it have no effect on health at all? I hope Mr. Wong will answer my question.
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU (in Cantonese):—The situation mentioned by Mr. Francis TANG is something which cannot be avoided. Most of the Council's swimming pools are in the outdoors and we cannot prevent insects from flying over the surface, especially in summer when the pools are open. The only thing that can be done is to instruct the pool staff to frequently scrub the sides of the pool tanks and remove any surface dirt. If there was too much deposit without being removed, it would affect the health of swimmers who happened to swallow it. This is something that is beyond any doubt. Neither do we have a set of perfect measures preventing dead insects or floating particles. In fact, some of the floating particles are brought into the water by swimmers. Nevertheless, they have to be removed, and the only way is to step up cleaning.
Page 230 of 606
Page 229 of 606
1006
Page 229 of 606
224
PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
following RC's practice of opening the swimming pools to the public by sessions.
Ms. Grace Au Yuk-har asked (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, although the Department will not consider adopting the Regional Council's arrangement of opening the pools by three sessions, would Mr. Ronnie WONG consider the feasibility of a two-session arrangement? If the two-session arrangement was adopted, would the Department further consider the most suitable time for the closing session?
Mr. Ronnie Wong Man-chiu (in Cantonese):-The measure of opening the swimming pools by sessions was adopted as carly as the days when I was an athlete. Being aware that the pools are mostly leased to swimming clubs for training purpose during the closing sessions. I doubt very much the kind of work that can be done during these sessions. Nevertheless, I consider that the questions raised by Ms. Au can be referred back to the Department for further assessment and in-depth study on changing the Regional Council's three- session arrangement to a two-session one, so that the merits and demerits of the arrangements will be compared and the overall impact on the services for the public will be assessed. I could ask the Department to make a review and follow up on this point.
MR. FRANCIS TANG CHI-HO (in Cantonese);—I wish to follow up on the reply of the Chairman of the Recreation Select Committee, which said that layers of dirt did accumulate on the surface of the Council's swimming pools, but pointed out that they would not adversely affect the health of human beings and had met the hygienic standard. We also frequently receive complaints from users of roadside swimming pools that there are dead insects floating on the surface. I would like to know how the Department is going to solve this kind of problem. Does it have no effect on health at all? I hope Mr. Wong will answer my question.
MR. RONNIE WONG MAN-CHIU (in Cantonese): --The situation mentioned by Mr. Francis TANG is something which cannot be avoided. Most of the Council's swimming pools are in the outdoors and we cannot prevent insects from flying over the surface, especially in summer when the pools are open. The only thing that can be done is to instruct the pool staff to frequently scrub the sides of the pool tanks and remove any surface dirt. If there was too much deposit without being removed, it would affect the health of swimmers who happened to swallow it. This is something that is beyond any doubt. Neither do we have a set of perfect measures preventing dead insects or floating particles. In fact some of the floating particles are brought into the water by swimmers. Nevertheless, they have to be removed, and the only way is to step up cleaning.
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