ENG-1993 — Page 444

THE ENVIRONMENT

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The Environment of New Towns

The development of new towns in what were formerly rural areas, on the nuclei of small fishing or market towns, has helped sustain economic growth in Hong Kong.

To some extent, the territory's new towns face the same environmental problems as the old urban areas. However, they have been better planned. They tend to be more spacious, and are better provided with sewers and facilities for waste disposal. On the negative side, water pollution in the rivers, streams and sea has become a problem.

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With the declaration of the Northwestern Water Control Zone in 1992, the protection of the Water Pollution Control Ordinance was extended to all new towns.

The decline in water quality in Tolo Harbour where a major part of the pollution comes from effluent from industrial and commercial areas reaching storm water drains, and sewage discharge from village areas - appears to have been halted. Through the enforcement of the ordinance, a large number of the unauthorised or expedient connections have been rectified. Implementation of the Sewerage Master Plan for the Tolo Harbour area will eliminate direct sewage discharge from the villages into surface water. The nutrient-rich effluent from the Sha Tin sewage treatment works has contributed to the poor water quality in Tolo Harbour. As a major element of the Tolo Harbour Action Plan, a tunnel diverting the treated effluent from the treatment works to an environmentally less sensitive area is scheduled for completion in 1994. Flows from the Tai Po sewage treatment works will be connected into the scheme in 1995.

Another pollution problem is the high concentration of heavy metals-in industrial discharges. These have upset the performance of the government's sewage treatment works. However, statutory controls have been successful in reducing the pollution loading in the various water control zones.

Rural Areas and the Sea

While some rural areas are badly polluted, others offer tremendous opportunities for conservation and recreation.

In the developed parts of the New Territories, water pollution in many rivers and streams remains severe. Some streams have recorded a degree of pollution equivalent to 10 times the strength of raw domestic sewage, and a thick, foul crust can be observed on the streams. This pollution poses a serious health risk when it passes through towns such as Yuen Long and Tuen Mun. With effective legislative controls, significant improvements in water quality have been achieved in some rivers such as the Mui Wo River and Tai Po Kau Stream.

The cause of much of this pollution is the territory's livestock industry. Before 1987, the total amount of waste produced annually by about 700 000 pigs and 12 million poultry in Hong Kong was 840 000 tonnes. This was equivalent to the pollution load of the raw sewage from a population of two million people. Most of it ended up in Hong Kong's small streams and rivers and eventually, the sea. By the end of 1993, this load had been reduced to 330 000 tonnes.

In the sea, away from the urban areas and confined bays, water quality objectives are met most of the time. However, dredging and dumping as part of the process of land formation and construction continued to affect the marine environment. Extensive areas of muddy water were visible at times, and some fishermen complained of reduced catches. Illegal dumping and short dumping of spoil (outside the designated areas) damage marine life.