ENG-2020 — Page 206

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Food Safety, Environmental Hygiene, Agriculture and Fisheries

In 2020, it issued 9,375 such notices and secured 199 convictions against those who failed to comply with the notices.

Pest Control

Preventing vector-borne diseases is one of the FEHD's prime tasks. It constantly reviews the methodology and strategy for controlling the spread of pests. Campaigns are carried out annually to urge people to help stop the spread of mosquitoes and rodents.

The department maintains close surveillance of mosquito vectors for dengue fever, Zika virus infection, Japanese encephalitis and malaria. Aedes albopictus mosquitoes collected are tested for dengue and Zika virus. One local case of dengue fever was recorded in 2020.

The department deploys pest control teams to sustain mosquito prevention and control work. Resources are added to start intensive exercises across the territory before the rainy season, so as to suppress the adult mosquito population. Anti-mosquito teams conducted 820,324 inspections of likely mosquito breeding spots and eliminated 69,771 breeding places in 2020.

On rodent prevention and control, the department conducts two phases of a territory-wide campaign, and two other rounds in target areas to strengthen rodent disinfestation and control at the district level. In 2020, the department filled 12,347 rat holes, collected 31,988 dead rodents, caught 28,872 live rodents and handled 10,331 complaints. In 2020, the FEHD conducted field trials of thermal imaging cameras with artificial intelligence analytic function at a number of locations to assist targeted deployment of rodenticides and traps and evaluate the effectiveness of rodent control operations.

Cemeteries, Crematoria and Columbaria

The department manages six government crematoria, 10 public cemeteries, 12 gardens of remembrance and 10 public columbaria, and monitors the management of 27 private cemeteries. To cope with the long-term public demand for facilities and services that handle the cremated ashes of the deceased, the government seeks to increase the supply of public niches, promote green burial and regulate private columbaria.

The government promotes a district-based columbarium development scheme to provide public niches. Columbarium projects in Tsang Tsui and Wo Hop Shek were completed in 2020, providing about 208,000 new niches, of which 21,926 were allocated in 2020. The government will expedite the development of public columbaria on shortlisted sites across the territory.

The government promotes green burial, encouraging environment-friendly and sustainable ways of handling ashes by scattering them in gardens of remembrance or at sea.

Under the Private Columbaria Ordinance, a specified instrument, namely a licence, an exemption or a temporary suspension of liability, must be obtained to operate a private columbarium, except during the grace period as applicable. A private columbarium must obtain a licence before it sells or newly lets out niches. Any person who operates, keeps, manages or has control of a private columbarium in contravention of the requirements under

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