ENG-2004 — Page 363

The Environment | 313

Construction Noise

Noise from general construction work between 7 pm and 7 am, and on public holidays, is controlled through construction noise permits. The permits restrict the use of equipment according to strict criteria and ban noisy manual activities in built-up areas. Percussive piling is prohibited at night and on public holidays and requires a permit during daytime on any day not being a public holiday. In 2004, some 2 900 permits for general construction work and percussive piling were issued. There were 84 prosecutions for working without permits or violating permit conditions.

The Government has also phased out the use of noisy diesel, steam and pneumatic piling hammers. The law requires hand-held percussive breakers and air compressors for construction to meet strict noise standards and to have 'green' noise emission labels before use. In 2004, about 800 labels were issued.

To deter repeated violations of industrial/commercial and construction noise offences, the Noise Control Ordinance was amended in 2002 to include explicit provisions to hold the top management of a body corporate liable for repeated offences committed by it. The new provisions came into operation in October 2004.

Intruder Alarm and Neighbourhood Noise

The Police Force handles complaints on intruder alarm and neighbourhood noise from domestic premises and public places. In 2004, the police dealt with some 3 000 complaints and three offenders were convicted.

Water Quality and Sewerage

Water pollution has increased with urban development and population growth, and Hong Kong now produces more than two million tonnes of sewage every day. The lack of proper treatment for most of the sewage from the generally older urban areas around Victoria Harbour in the past had resulted in poor water quality there. But, following the full commissioning of the first stage of the Harbour Areal Treatment Scheme (HATS) at the end of 2001, there has been a marked improvement, which has been sustained.

In addition, pollution control at source has yielded positive effects, and river quality has also improved. The percentage of rivers in the 'good' and 'excellent' categories increased from 34 per cent in 1986 to 77 per cent in 2004, and the percentage in the 'bad' and 'very bad' categories fell from 45 per cent in 1986 to 17 per cent in 2004.

Sewage Treatment and Disposal

To treat wastewater from the main urban areas, sewage collected by the local sewerage network on both sides of Victoria Harbour will be directed to the HATS system for treatment and disposal. The HATS, previously known as the Strategic Sewage Disposal Scheme, is a huge project that was originally divided into four stages.