ENG-1994 — Page 477

THE ENVIRONMENT

The Urban and Regional Services Departments have agreed to phase out the use of conventional chlorine gas dosing systems for swimming pools. The departments are converting to smaller cylinders for chlorine in the interim and are gradually adopting other safer sterilisation systems.

Legislation and Pollution Control

Hong Kong has six main pieces of legislation to control pollution. They are the Waste Disposal Ordinance, the Water Pollution Control Ordinance, the Air Pollution Control Ordinance, the Noise Control Ordinance, the Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance and the Dumping At Sea Act (Overseas Territories) Order. Most of these include subsidiary regulations and other statutory provisions, such as technical memoranda, that give specific effect to the intentions of the principal laws.

The government has adopted a system of environmental quality objectives as a general principle in its pollution control laws. The objectives are set at levels that will protect conservation goals, such as the protection of public health or the preservation of a natural ecosystem. This system usually gives the required environmental benefit at the least cost. The limits it imposes on pollutant emissions are no more stringent or costly than is necessary to achieve the conservation goal. It also makes the maximum safe use of the environment's capacity to neutralise pollution.

Industrial and Commercial Emissions

The successful growth of industry and commerce in Hong Kong has been achieved at the expense of severe degradation of the environment. The penalty is being paid in the form of adverse ecological changes, a heavy but usually hidden financial burden on the community, and great risks to community health.

The government's pollution control strategy aims not to harm industry and commerce, but to work in partnership with firms so that all may benefit from a better environment. There are often direct economic benefits to be gained from activities that benefit the environment, such as recycling and the adoption of clean technology in manufacturing. These methods are better than pollution control techniques that have to be applied after a waste material has become a potential pollutant.

The government would prefer industry and commerce to recognise the benefits of waste minimisation and pollution prevention, but it is inevitable that this is not an entirely voluntary process and legislative control is required. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the case of the Water Pollution Control Ordinance, which came into operation with the first water control zone in 1987 and has been gradually extended to cover all the environmentally-sensitive waters of Hong Kong. In 1994, nine out of the 10 water control zones in the territory were established, covering some of the most heavily industrialised areas surrounding Victoria Harbour.

The Victoria Harbour Water Control Zone, the last water control zone to be declared, will be established in phases. Phase I, which includes Tsuen Wan East, Kwai Chung and Kwun Tong, was declared in November. This covers most of the industrialised areas in Hong Kong. Phase II, which will cover all the remaining areas in Kowloon, is scheduled for declaration before the end of 1995. Phase III, which will cover the remaining areas on Hong Kong Island, will be declared by 1996.

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