ENG-1983 — Page 308

THE ENVIRONMENT

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the provision and operation of public sector environmental control and waste disposal facilities such as sewage treatment works and incinerators; monitoring of environmental quality to check the effectiveness of existing measures and the need for new ones; and consultation, both with representatives from industry and commerce likely to be affected by existing measures and new proposals and with the community through advisory committees.

Planning and Environmental Impact Assessment

Consideration given to environmental requirements during the earliest planning stages of Hong Kong's new developments provides both a challenge and an opportunity to avert future environmental problems. It has become routine that plans - including outline development and zoning plans, master development plans and regional strategic planning studies receive detailed scrutiny by the EPA and other departments with an interest in environmental matters. In some cases, comprehensive environmental investigations are mounted – for example, a two-year study in connection with the proposed development of Junk Bay as a new town was completed during the year.

For certain developments in the private sector, developers are required to submit detailed environmental assessments to the government. The coal-fired power stations at Tap Shek Kok and on Lamma Island, various chemical plants, and other plants on Tsing Yi Island, have been subject to this procedure.

Legislation and Control

A major step forward in 1983 was the enactment of the Air Pollution Control Ordinance in April which came into force in October. This ordinance joins the Waste Disposal and the Water Pollution Control Ordinances which became law in 1981. To complete the legislative framework, a new Noise Control Bill was being drafted and had reached an advanced stage by the year's end. The control of other aspects of pollution is provided for under various ordinances and regulations, such as the Shipping and Port Control Ordinance, the Public Health and Urban Services Ordinance, and the Road Traffic Ordinance.

The Labour Department's Air Pollution Control Division, which had administered the regulations controlling smoke and grit emitted from stationary sources under the Clean Air Ordinance, continued to carry out these provisions - together with other more extensive ones - when they were transferred to the Air Pollution Control Ordinance in October. The division inspected 4313 premises and gave advice to industry on matters concerning statutory requirements, design and installation of air pollution control equipment and measures to prevent contravention of the clean air legislation. It processed 314 sets of plans and specifications for chimneys and related combustion equipment and received and investigated 1 521 complaints about air pollution, the majority of which were satisfactorily resolved through advice to industry without the need to resort to enforcement action. Some 100 prosecutions were initiated under the Clean Air Ordinance and Air Pollution Control Ordinance, three for failure to abate smoke nuisances, 49 for emitting excessive dark smoke and 48 for unauthorised installation of furnaces, ovens or chimneys. These resulted in 97 convictions and fines ranging from $250 to $5,000. A programme of installing electrostatic precipitators in the two older municipal incineration plants was in hand following satisfactory trials at the Kennedy Town Plant.

Emissions from mobile sources make a significant contribution to air pollution in Hong Kong and new road vehicles imported into the territory must meet specified European or equivalent regulations on emissions controls. Control of excessive smoke emissions from