ENG-1989 — Page 392

THE ENVIRONMENT

ships, the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (London) 1973 and its modifying 1978 Protocol, known as the Marpol Convention, was previously applied in Hong Kong through UK Orders in Council. To better suit the local conditions, a local law, the Merchant Shipping (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Ordinance replaced the various Orders in Council. Enforced by the Director of Marine, it governs the pollution prevention required on board ships.

To tackle the problem of pollution of inland waters by livestock wastes, controls provided in the Waste Disposal (Amendment) Ordinance 1987 and subsidiary regulations in 1988 continued to be progressively applied. By the end of 1989, most of the areas under Phase I of the three phases of control had been brought under control.

In order to assist farmers to understand and comply with the new controls, a Code of Practice was published and detailed technical advice made available upon request. A demonstration waste treatment facility has been developed, and practical waste treatment systems set up at nine selected farms by a government-appointed consultant to demonstrate four treatment techniques under working farm conditions. Livestock waste collection services are provided by the government.

Air Pollution

As pollutant emissions from stationary sources are one of the main causes of air pollution in Hong Kong, the Air Pollution Control Ordinance (APCO) was enacted in 1983 to control such emissions. Since then, significant progress has been made in the control of air pollution from stationary sources. The ordinance empowers the Director of Environmental Protection to issue notices requiring the abatement of air pollutant nuisances, modification or repair of chimneys or plants, prohibition of the use of unsuitable fuels, or provision of information. During the year, 1 594 air pollution complaints were investigated, 197 notices were served and 73 prosecutions for non-compliance with the requirements of such notices were initiated.

The ordinance applies to Air Control Zones (ACZs) declared throughout the territory. Following the declaration of the first two ACZS covering Victoria Harbour and Tsuen Wan-Kwai Chung in December 1986, a further eight such zones covering the remainder of the territory were gazetted in 1989. The same Air Quality Objectives gazetted in January 1987 for the first two zones were also adopted in these new zones.

Under this ordinance, regulations were enacted at different times to deal with specific air pollution problems. The Air Pollution Control (Fuel Restriction) Regulations were enacted in January 1989 to prohibit the use of liquid fuels with a sulphur content greater than one per cent in the eastern part of the New Territories, with the exception of Sha Tin where only gaseous fuels are allowed. In order to facilitate the enforcement of these regulations, a complete survey of fuel consumers in these areas was first conducted by the EPD. Since sulphur-containing fuel is widely used in the territory, there are plans to extend the regulations to prohibit the use of industrial fuel oil with a sulphur content greater than 0.5 per cent by weight by 1990.

The Air Pollution Control (Specified Processes) Regulations were enacted in October 1987. These regulations operate in conjunction with the relevant provisions of the Air Pollution Control Ordinance and provide control of certain industrial processes called 'specified processes' which may cause serious air pollution. Anyone wishing to start operating a new specified process requires a licence from the EPD. The licence will specify how noxious or offensive emissions must be controlled and made harmless before their discharge into the atmosphere. However, specified processes which existed before October

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