ENG-1994 — Page 472

THE ENVIRONMENT

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Water quality at the beaches is often affected by heavy rain, which tends to wash out pollutants from the beach hinterlands. In Hong Kong, the period of heaviest rainfall usually coincides with the swimming season. In 1994, prolonged heavy rain in July and August resulted in about one-third of the beaches where water quality was previously good, becoming unfit for swimming. This situation will be improved only when new permanent sewage infrastructure is provided in the hinterlands of all gazetted beaches, a process which is ongoing but will take some time.

Protecting the Environment

The Administrative Framework

The Planning, Environment and Lands Branch of the Government Secretariat has overall policy responsibility for the environment.

The Environmental Protection Department is the government's main store of expertise in pollution control and environmental management. Its tasks include: providing advice on policy; implementing programmes to meet policy goals for tackling all aspects of pollution; undertaking environmental planning and assessment; monitoring the state of the environ- ment; devising, enforcing and reviewing the effectiveness of all environmental legislation, and recommending new or amended legislation; and planning and developing facilities for liquid and solid waste disposal.

The Agriculture and Fisheries Department is the principal government agency for nature - and wildlife conservation. Its duties cover: designating and managing country parks, which cover some 40 per cent of the land area of Hong Kong, for the purposes of con- servation, nature education and recreation; identifying and protecting areas of conservation importance; enforcing the protection of flora and fauna; providing advice on ecological aspects of environmental planning and assessment; and promoting public awareness of nature conservation.

Other departments also play a major role in protecting Hong Kong's environment. The Planning Department takes care of the environment in government urban and rural planning at strategic and local level. The Drainage Services Department designs, builds, operates and maintains sewerage and sewage treatment and disposal facilities throughout the territory. The Territory Development Department carries out sewerage and sewage disposal works in new towns. The Urban Services Department and Regional Services Department provide refuse collection services and maintain environmental hygiene. The Civil Engineering Department oversees and operates landfills for the disposal of waste. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department operates refuse incinerators and promotes energy efficiency and conservation. The Marine Department clears floating refuse and oil from the harbour and enforces the law on oil spills.

Planning Against Pollution

The government's environmental planning and assessment are aimed at pre-empting environmental problems associated with development projects, plans and strategies, by assessing their environmental implications and ensuring that measures are implemented to avoid any potential problems that are identified. They are carried out through input at various levels of planning, often assisted by environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies.