ENG-2017 — Page 215

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Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries

The department takes enforcement action against littering, spitting and other unhygienic practices in public places. In 2017, it issued some 44,840 fixed penalty notices.

Abatement of Sanitary Nuisances

In 2017, the department issued 9,228 nuisance notices requiring those responsible to stop sanitary nuisances such as refuse accumulation, dripping air conditioners and water seepage in private premises. It secured 96 convictions against those who failed to comply with the notices.

Pest Control

Preventing the spread of pest-borne diseases is one of the FEHD's prime tasks. It reviews constantly the methodology and strategy for controlling the spread of pests.

Campaigns are carried out across Hong Kong annually to urge people to help stop the spread of rodents and mosquitoes. The department maintains close surveillance of the Aedes albopictus, a carrier of dengue fever and potential vector of the Zika virus. Anti-mosquito teams conducted 917,842 inspections of likely mosquito breeding spots and eliminated 57,701 breeding places during the year. One imported case of Zika virus infection was recorded, in addition to one local case of dengue fever and five local cases of Japanese encephalitis.

The department deploys pest control roving teams to sustain mosquito prevention and control work. Additional resources are deployed to carry out intensive exercises across the territory before the rainy season, so as to suppress the adult mosquito population and eradicate possibly infected mosquitoes. To prevent the spread of dengue fever and the Zika virus in Hong Kong, all samples collected under a dengue vector surveillance programme in port areas and in areas with an Area Ovitrap Index of at least 10 per cent are tested for dengue fever and the Zika virus.

Cemeteries, Crematoria and Columbaria

The department manages six government crematoria, 10 public cemeteries and eight public columbaria, and monitors the management of 27 private cemeteries. To cater for public demand for columbaria, the government works at increasing the supply of public niches, promoting green burial and regulating private columbaria.

Twenty-four potential sites in the 18 districts have been identified for columbaria development. The relevant District Councils have given support for 14 projects, which account for about two- thirds of the overall planned number of new niches. The government will expedite the development of public columbaria on shortlisted sites across the territory.

The government promotes environment-friendly and sustainable ways of handling ashes, including scattering them in the 11 Gardens of Remembrance managed by the FEHD or at sea. The department provides a free ferry service for scattering ashes at sea and an internet memorial service for the public to pay tribute to the deceased online. It has also stepped up publicity to promote green burial.

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