ENG-1996 — Page 290

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LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

Drainage Services

The Drainage Services Department is responsible for planning, designing, constructing, operating and maintaining the sewerage, sewage treatment and stormwater drainage infrastructures. The Director of Drainage Services is also the general manager of the Sewage Services Trading Fund.

Treatment and Disposal of Waste Water

The treatment and disposal of waste water, including domestic sewage and trade and industrial effluent, are based on standards, strategies and programmes drawn up by the Environmental Protection Department. Planning, design and construction of the associated projects are carried out by the Drainage Services Department.

Waste water disposal projects are broadly divided into three categories: 'existing' sewerage or sewage treatment projects which were in the public works programme before the development in 1989 of the new strategy to combat water pollution; 'sewerage masterplan schemes' which are 16 territory-wide sewerage rehabilitation and improvement schemes; and the 'Strategic Sewage Disposal Scheme' under the new strategy. The latter is a multi-billion-dollar project to collect and treat sewage discharges from Kowloon, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Chung, Tseung Kwan O and the northern side of Hong Kong Island.

Projects under these three categories, valued at some $14 billion, were under construction by the Drainage Services Department, and projects worth a further $6 billion were at various stages of planning and design in 1996.

The largest 'existing' project completed in 1996 was the Tolo Harbour Effluent Export Scheme. This will export sewage effluent from the Sha Tin and Tai Po sewage treatment works into Victoria Harbour and help to prevent the occurrence of red tides in Tolo Harbour. Stage I of the works between Sha Tin and Victoria Harbour was completed in April 1995. Stage II of the works between Tai Po and Sha Tin was completed and commissioned in March 1996 and included the construction of a one- metre diameter, six-kilometre long, steel rising main buried under the seabed of Tolo Harbour.

Under the sewerage masterplan schemes, planning and design work was in hand to improve the sewage collection, treatment and disposal facilities in North District; Wan Chai East and North Point; Tseung Kwan O; Aberdeen, Ap Lei Chau and Pok Fu Lam; and the outlying islands. Construction work was in progress in the remainder of the 16 sewerage masterplan schemes.

In the Southern District of Hong Kong Island, the construction of drainage improvement works in Repulse Bay and Shek O were completed at the end of 1995 and 1996, respectively. This not only resulted in improved sewerage facilities, but also provided much-needed protection to the popular bathing beaches in this area of scenic natural beauty.

In the North and South Kowloon sewerage masterplan area, inspection and cleaning of major existing sewers were completed. New sewers and pumping stations in Tsim Sha Tsui and Hung Hom were being built.

Laying of new sewers in the urban areas of West Kowloon continued. Detailed design for the remaining sewers and the first stage of the stormwater drainage improvements in the North-West Kowloon area was in progress.