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| January 2000 Noise pollution Hanford Garden peace disturbed By Ritly Ma Articles from the
same section: When Hanford Garden in Tuen Mun opened to homebuyers in 1993, all the new residents enjoyed tranquillity and sea views. However, a new cargo working area built since 1996 has taken these away. Protests by residents have been met with government attempts to abate the problem, but the results have been less than satisfactory to Hanford Garden homeowners. Hanford Garden is located next to the Tuen Mun Public Cargo Working Area. Cargo must be transported by sea to the typhoon shelter next to the Garden before loading. It is common for operators to load the cargo containers at midnight. This creates headache for the residents of Hanford Garden. Miss Kwai Lai Man is one of them. Annoyed by the repeated clashing of cargo containers and container ships’ horns, she cannot fall asleep until 1 a.m. Miss Fong Lai Man, the chairperson of the Owners’ Committee of Hanford Garden, said the cargo working area is their nightmare. Said she: “The cargo working area is allowed to operate from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. “However, cargo container ships with horns and loud speakers usually come into the typhoon shelter at 5 a.m.” Recently, gravel and steel bars have been loaded and unloaded at the site. The materials on the dock bang and clash, irritating residents, especially those on higher floors. Wai Sang Waste Paper & Metal Co. is one of the operators at the site. Mr. Ng, proprietor of the company, said his company operates from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and his company abides by the rules. Wealth Fair Development Co. Ltd. is another operator at the site. An employee who requested anonymity said it is common for companies to work beyond the restricted time period. He did not name his firm as being among the violators. The Marine Department can do nothing because no official is on duty from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. If there are operations after 9 p.m., residents can complain to the Castle Peak Police Station. According to a senior information officer of the Marine Department, Mr. Raymond Tam, the Department in 1996 received 108 complaints, mostly from residents of Hanford Garden. Usually, Marine Inspectors look into the complaints and give warnings to the operators. Mr. To King Ho is the senior environmental protection officer of the Environmental Protection Department. Said he: “We carried out an environmental review after the residents moved into Hanford Garden. “We have received many complaints and have come up with some measures to minimize the nuisance.” In 1997, the Marine Department started to implement these measures. Firstly, nine lots in the cargo working area nearest to the Garden are used exclusively for non-polluting goods such as recycled paper and gravel. Moreover, the Department does not allow loading activities within 60 meters of Hanford Garden. Except under emergency circumstances, all cargo container ships must enter the typhoon shelter from the side farthest from the Garden. The Department also encourages operators to minimize noise levels by avoiding unnecessary use of loud speakers and noisy maintenance activities. It also encourages operators to maintain equipment properly to minimize noise. According to Mr. To, the Noise Control Ordinance is supposed to regulate the problem. Under the Ordinance, operators will be prosecuted if they generate noise exceeding 65 decibels, on average, continuously for 30 minutes. However, because of a loophole in the Ordinance, prosecution is difficult. Said Mr. Tam: “We send officers to the podium of the Garden to measure the noise level. “Even though noise levels over 65 decibels, on average, can be recorded, we can do nothing unless the noise continues for 30 minutes.” To deal with the problem, the Owners’ Committee has organized demonstrations with the help of Miss Cheung Yuet Lan, a Tuen Mun District Board member. She and the residents made two demands of the government. Said Miss Cheung: “The first is to move the cargo working area 100 meters towards the west. “And the second is to build a wall to minimize the noise.” Ultimately, the government complied by forbidding any operations in within 60 meters of the Garden, and a wall has been built. In the demonstrations, they also asked for relocation of the cargo working area. However, this seems impossible in the near future. Said Marine Department's Mr. Tam: “We are thinking about moving the area farther to the west. “However, it seems a complete relocation is impossible in the near future.” |
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