ENG-1998 — Page 477

THE ENVIRONMENT

in the summary reports of bathing water quality, which are issued to the media and published in newspapers every week during the bathing season.

The department routinely uses mathematical models to assess the water quality impact of major development activities. Recently, it has developed a water quality model for Deep Bay. This is an enclosed bay whose waters and catchment lie partly in Hong Kong and partly in Shenzhen. The model has helped to determine how much waste the bay can naturally absorb and still achieve the quality objectives for its waters. Now this capacity is known, both Hong Kong and Shenzhen authorities can draw up plans to control pollution for the protection of the bay.

In a wider context, the government is also refining a new model for assessing the cumulative impacts of all development in Hong Kong. The extensive coverage of the model will help impact assessment within Hong Kong and in cross-boundary waters. such as the Pearl River estuary and Mirs Bay.

The EPD operates 12 air-quality monitoring stations, having completed its Central roadside station in 1998. These stations have continuous monitoring instruments that measure sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, photochemical oxidants and carbon monoxide. Airborne dust and lead concentrations are also measured. Two more air quality monitoring stations will be completed in 1999. Monitoring of toxic air pollutants at Tsuen Wan, Central and Western districts began in mid-1997.

The department reports and publishes the results of its air quality measurements each month and an air pollution index and forecast system provides daily information to the public. In June 1998, the department began to report and forecast. a roadside air pollution index.

The department also conducts a survey on solid waste disposal every year to collect current information for planning disposal facilities. The community disposed of about 16 200 tonnes of solid wastes at landfills each day in 1998. Of this, 6 900 tonnes were domestic waste, 1 900 tonnes were commercial and industrial waste and 6 700 tonnes came from construction activities. The municipal waste production amounts to 1.3 kg for each person in Hong Kong every day.

Local waste recovery continued to play an important role in waste management, resulting in the export of substantial quantities of recovered waste materials for recycling overseas. In all, more than 1.1 million tonnes of waste materials, including waste paper, metals and plastic were exported in 1998, which generated export earnings of about $1.8 billion. Local industry reprocessed more than 310 000 tonnes of recyclable materials including waste paper, metals, plastic and glass. The total recovery rate represents about 31 per cent of the total municipal solid

waste.

The government is studying the environmental impact and engineering feasibility of building waste-to-energy incinerators. They would have a combined daily burning capacity of 6 000 tonnes of municipal waste.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation

More efficient use of energy is fundamental to improving the environment. Reducing the burning of fossil fuels helps to sustain our future development by conserving finite resources, and cuts emissions of both damaging particulates, sulphur dioxide,

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