THE ENVIRONMENT
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institutional premises being discharged into storm water drains has also been alleviated. A total of 20 000 cubic metres per day of polluted effluent has been diverted to the foul sewerage system, which is equivalent to the pollution load from more than 99 000 people.
Over two million tonnes of sewage and industrial waste water are generated daily in Hong Kong, of which about 10 per cent receives proper treatment, 40 per cent receives partial treatment and the rest goes untreated. Over 90 per cent of private sewage treatment plants now operate satisfactorily and the water quality of many popular bathing beaches has improved in areas such as Hong Kong Island South and Sai Kung. Further improvement in water quality can be expected after upgrading and improvement works are commissioned in phases from 1994 onwards.
The Waste Disposal Ordinance complements the Water Pollution Control Ordinance in controlling industrial pollution. It provides the statutory framework for managing all solid and semi-solid waste in Hong Kong.
The Waste Disposal (Chemical Waste) (General) Regulation controls all chemical waste from industry. Chemical waste producers must register with the EPD. They must pack, label and temporarily store their chemical waste properly before its delivery to licensed facilities for treatment and disposal. Only facilities capable of treating, recycling or disposing of chemical waste in an environmentally acceptable manner can obtain a licence. Licensing control also applies to the collection and transportation of chemical waste. The licence conditions require a sound operation employing fully-trained and skilled staff, and proper equipment and vehicles.
The Chemical Waste Treatment Centre on Tsing Yi Island run by a government contractor is the main licensed disposal facility and collector for chemical waste generated in Hong Kong. Its operator provides vehicles for the collection of waste from the waste producers.
Besides liquid and solid wastes, many factories and commercial enterprises produce air-borne emissions. The EPD operates a range of controls under the Air Pollution Control Ordinance and subsidiary regulations, including specific control on furnaces and chimneys, dark smoke emissions, fuel composition and specified processes. Also regulations will be enacted to ban the open burning of waste materials and to reduce dust emissions from construction works in 1996. The installation and alteration of furnaces, ovens and chimneys need approval from the department, which processed 611 applications during the year.
Nuisance and environmental problems caused by air pollution, which commonly result from poor maintenance or defective design of the relevant plant or equipment, arouse great public concern, especially when factories are near homes. In con- nection with such problems, 108 legal notices were issued and 2 182 complaints were investigated. Restrictions on the sulphur content of fuel oils drastically reduced the level of sulphur dioxide emissions.
Certain industrial facilities and processes liable to cause significant air pollution, are targeted for control. Exemptions from licensing control granted to owners of some existing specified process premises are being removed in phases up to 1997. Removing these exemptions tackles the air pollution problem they cause.
Noise from industrial or commercial activities is controlled by means of Noise Abatement Notices (NANs). The department may serve NANs to require the owners
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