ENG-1992 — Page 184

HEALTH

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International Action

Hong Kong continued to play an active international role, maintaining close links with the United Nations, inter-governmental agencies such as Interpol and the Customs Co-operation Council, as well as with individual governments. Hong Kong took part in 36 regional and international meetings and seminars concerned with anti-drug policies, law enforcement, treatment and rehabilitation, and preventive education.

The techniques and methods employed in Hong Kong have made it an important venue for training anti-drug personnel from overseas. During the year, 303 people from 25 countries and international bodies came to Hong Kong on study visits and training

courses.

As at the end of the year, bilateral agreements had been concluded with 11 foreign jurisdictions with a view to enhancing international co-operation, particularly as regards the tracing and confiscation of the proceeds of drug trafficking.

Environmental Hygiene

The Urban Services Department and the Regional Services Department, working under the Urban Council and the Regional Council, are responsible for street cleaning, collection and removal of refuse and nightsoil, cleansing of gullies, management of public toilets and bathhouses, pest control and services for the dead.

A regular workforce of about 8 500 is employed in cleansing duties, employing a fleet of 550 specialised vehicles which include refuse collection vehicles, street washers, mechanical sweepers, nightsoil collectors and gully emptiers.

Streets are swept, either manually or mechanically, up to six times a day for busy thoroughfares to once every second day for village lanes. Streets and lanes are also hosed down where local conditions warrant. Hawker areas and refuse collection points are washed regularly.

About 4 760 tonnes of refuse and junk are collected daily, including 114 tonnes removed by a contractual barging service from outlying islands for disposal on the mainland. A free nightsoil collection service is also provided every day in those areas without a water-borne sewage and disposal system. These services are provided free.

There are 1 109 refuse collection points and 1 584 bin sites in the territory.

The two departments continued to contract out some of their cleansing services to private contractors to reduce the direct involvement of departmental labour and enhance cost-effectiveness. In the urban areas, the contracts covered 307 public toilets and bathhouses, manual street sweeping of Tai Kok Tsui, part of Wan Chai and two squatter villages. In the New Territories, the contracting-out of street cleansing services was extended to cover selected areas in Tuen Mun, Sha Tin and Sai Kung districts from April 1992. The provision of desludging services for Vietnamese migrant centres was also assigned to a private contractor. As the performance of the private contractors has been found to be satisfactory, contracting out will be extended to other suitable localities. Under active planning are the contracting-out of waste collection in Tai Po township and cleansing for remote areas in Sai Kung.

During the year, the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign celebrated its 20th anniversary. To mark the special year, the Joint Urban Council/Regional Council Steering Committee stepped up its efforts to spread the keep clean message by launching a seven-phase clean-up programme, covering the environment, water, roads, schools, homes, squatter areas and