ENG-2012 — Page 294

14.

The Environment

Noise from Industrial or Commercial Activities

Noise from industrial or commercial activities is controlled through the issuance of noise abatement notices. The EPD serves abatement notices requiring the owners or occupants of premises causing excessive noise to reduce it within a given period.

Construction Noise

Noise from general construction works between 7 pm and 7 am and on public holidays is controlled through construction noise permits. These restrict the use of equipment in accordance with 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 the daytime on any day that is not a public holiday. The Government has phased out the use of noisy diesel, steam. and pneumatic piling hammers. The law also requires hand-held percussive breakers and air compressors for construction to meet strict noise standards and to have 'green' noise emission labels.

To deter repeated industrial, commercial and construction noise offences, the Noise Control Ordinance stipulates that the senior management of a body corporate will be held liable for repeated offences committed by that body corporate.

The EPD has introduced a Quality Powered Mechanical Equipment system to promote the use of more environmentally friendly construction equipment and to facilitate the construction noise permit application process.

Intruder Alarm and Neighbourhood Noise

The Police handle complaints about intruder alarms and neighbourhood noise from domestic premises and public places.

Water Quality and Sewerage

Water pollution, if left unchecked, tends to increase with urban development and population growth. The lack of proper treatment for most of the sewage from older urban areas around Victoria Harbour resulted in poor water quality there but since the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS) Stage 1 went into operation at the end of 2001, there has been a marked improvement. The Government is now implementing HATS Stage 2A which will collect and properly treat the remaining 25 per cent of sewage around the harbour.

In addition, pollution control at source has yielded positive results, and river quality has also improved. The percentage of rivers in the 'good' and 'excellent' categories increased from 34 per cent in 1986 to 85 per cent in 2012, and the percentage in the 'bad' and 'very bad' categories fell from 45 per cent in 1986 to 6 per cent, with no river falling into the 'very bad' category in 2012.

Marine water quality objectives were introduced under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance and gradually applied to the 10 water control zones from 1982 to 1996. The Government commissioned a study in 2008 to review the existing water quality objectives in light of local conditions, overseas best practices and scientific advances; and to examine the technical attainability and potential socio-economic implications of any proposed changes to the water

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