Periscope
Related Stories
Pollutions updates
How bad has it got?
By Jill Yung
Environmental conservations have been highly concerned in Hong Kong for the past few decades because the rapid growth of the local economy is provoking irreversible damage to our natural environment.
According to Professor Chan King Ming from the Department of Biochemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong , who is also the instructor of the course “Environmental problems in Hong Kong ”, the overall environmental quality of Hong Kong has been degrading, rather than improving, for the past 10 years.
“People have been working on the issue of environmental protection for so many years. Yet, we still don't see much improvement,” Professor Chan said.
To study the change of environmental quality in Hong Kong , there are basically three main fields of concern – air quality, water quality, and solid waste problems.
Air quality has once been a remarkable improvement in Hong Kong during the 1990's.
“A large number of industrial plants moved northwards to the mainland from 1992 to 1997. Local air pollution was therefore greatly reduced,” he said.
The government has been contributing to dilute the roadside air pollution. The Environment, Transport and Works Bureau introduced emission standards for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) light buses and tightened up the emission standards for other vehicles. The government launched an incentive scheme in 2002 to encourage the replacement of diesel light buses with electric light buses or LPG ones. Newly registered LPG light buses tax exemptions are granted, too. For other petrol vehicles and their emission standards, the government sought schemes and ideas from the Japanese Government and Euro III principles.
“However, toxic pollutants wafted from the near provinces in the mainland are another serious issue that we have to coordinate with the Chinese Government,” said Professor Chan.
Water quality in Hong Kong has been degrading throughout the past 10 years. Land reclamation and millions of gallons of sewage have polluted the water and decimated many marine creatures. According to the marine water quality annual report submitted by the Environmental Protection Department in 2003, there had been a significant decrease in dissolved oxygen in most parts of the marine waters around Hong Kong from 1986 to 2003. A long-term increase in the concentration of E.coli has been recorded in similar marine areas. E.coli is bacteria found in human feces. It is often used as an indicator of sewage pollution. An increased E.coli count indicates worse contamination and higher health risk.
Nature's great survivors, Chinese pink dolphins, manage to exist in the filthiest waters in Asia . Thanks to water pollution, noise pollution and the reclamations, fewer of them exist in Hong Kong 's waters.
According to Hong Kong Dolphin Watch, the city's only official dolphin-watching tour, about 10 to 12 dead dolphins has washed up on the local beaches and specialists found toxins like insecticides, chemical fertilizers, and heavy metals in their body tissues.
Hong Kong 's frequent reclamation projects blend solid waste, noise, water and air pollutions. These projects, not only destroy many species' habitats and breeding grounds, they also induce unrecoverable destruction of local natural scenery.
Landfills are where solid waste usually goes. The three big landfill sites are located in Tseung Kwan O, Nim Wan in Tun Mun and Ta Kwu Ling in North District and it is believed that these sites will be fully filled within five years.”
Facing this critical situation, the government refuses to surrender. According to The Standard , the HKSAR Government will release a comprehensive white paper outlining new strategies on waste reduction, disposal strategies, and high-technology incineration, as well as other measures to reduce air and waste pollution in September this year. The “polluters pay” principle will be further discussed in the paper, too. Seemingly, the government is shifting the focus from the matter of disposal to waste reduction and prevention measures.
