ENG-1979 — Page 270

19

11

The Environment

M

A COMPREHENSIVE programme for the protection of the environment in Hong Kong in the 1980s and beyond was further developed during the year.

The key elements in pollution control will be new legislation and the reorganisation and strengthening of resources for increased protection of the environment.

The legislation consists of five new ordinances. Of these, four relate to the control of noise, air and water pollution, and to waste disposal. The fifth ordinance will cover the requirements of environmental impact statements which will assess new projects that may have an adverse effect on the environment.

The reorganisation within the government provides for a two-tier structure, with policy development and environmental monitoring in the hands of the Environmental Protection Unit (EPU). The second tier, the carrying out of policy, including source sampling to ensure compliance with legislation, is to be the responsibility of a number of control units. Some of these already exist in departments and they will be strengthened. Other control units are to be established in the future.

Pollution Control: Planning for the 1980s

The Environment Branch, a policy-making and co-ordinating body within the Government Secretariat, is responsible for pollution control, countryside conservation, urban services, land development, land administration and transport matters.

Attached to the Environment Branch is the Environmental Protection Unit (EPU), which is responsible to the Secretary for the Environment for overall policy development in the pollution control field. The EPU forms one tier in the two-tier structure that is being developed for environmental protection. The EPU formulates new legislation and deter- mines the regulations which flow from it. Other responsibilities include: the identification of priorities and the relative costs and benefits of alternative pollution control strategies; the establishment of objectives for environmental quality; and the monitoring of long-term trends in pollution levels to provide the data base essential for policy development and effectiveness.

Further duties involve providing advice on environmental planning and on the selection of suitable sites for large-scale projects, and the preparation or vetting of environmental impact statements. In all these activities, the EPU seeks the views of government depart- ments which have either expertise or responsibilities in the areas concerned.

During 1979, approval was given for the provision of more staff and equipment which the EPU requires to carry out its various responsibilities. Starting in 1980, resources will be built up over a three-year period. This will enable the EPU to obtain the necessary local data on Hong Kong that is needed to formulate the detailed regulations which will flow from the new environmental protection ordinances. Considerable importance is attached

Page 270Page 271