Hong Kong's current pollution crisis primarily stems

from the fact that for years it has been overburdening the
dispersive capability of the sea around it with an increasing
pollutant input from its people and the services they need,
the animals it breeds and some of its manufacturing processes.
Historically it has never paid the same attention to its
sanitation infrastructure as it has, for instance, to building
roads, constructing skyscrapers and erecting factories.
it has recognised the need for efficiency in its port, in its
supply of power and water, in its telecommunications network, in upgrading its industries and in building enough
housing estates, etc. But the same need for efficiency in
water quality management, sewerage, sewage treatment and
disposal has been a dirty, largely underground, business it
has tended to prefer to pay less attention to and a cost
Hong Kong has preferred to avert.
The result is it has an infrastructure that is inadequate.
Worse still, it is all mixed up.
The state of the harbour, the pollution of the beaches
and rivers, the smell of Kaitak Nullah greeting tourists and,
in fact, the deteriorating state of most of Hong Kong's
surrounding waters has heightened community awareness
that Hong Kong now has a problem it logically must stop
neglecting.
Finally, it has begun facing up to the need for sensible
action in its perceived pollution crisis with Government
leadership.
The Governor announced in October a $10 billion programme for a better sewerage system for the territories has
been mapped out.
The programme, which will be implemented over the
next 10 years, includes the construction of sewage collection, treatment and disposal facilities. These will refurbish
and reinforce the existing sewerage system which has been
built up piecemeal over the last century.
"Construction of projects costing about $2 billion has
either started already or will start during the next year,"
Sir David Wilson told the Legislative Council. "These include the north-west New Territories trunk sewer and a
scheme to pump treated effluent from Sha Tin for discharge into the Kaitak Nullah.
"This imaginative proposal will reduce the pollution of
Tolo Harbour while at the same time helping to improve
the condition of the Kaitak Nullah," he said.

Other projects in hand for the improved sewerage infrastructure of the whole territory are new sewerage master
plans for East Kowloon and Hong Kong Island South,
Tsuen Wan/Kwai Chung, North-west Kowloon, Tolo Harbour and Port Shelter.
In his address Sir David also gave a brief account of the
progress of the Livestock Waste Control Scheme which was
planned to extend gradually to cover the entire territory in
the next eight years.
"in time, cleaning up the watercourses will lead to a
significant reduction in the pollution of our coastal waters,
particularly in Tolo Harbour," he said.
The Governor revealed also the Government's intention
to put all Hong Kong waters under control within the next
five years.
As to the long-term waste disposal strategy, Sir David
outlined a programme that involved two huge landfill sites
in the New Territories and the construction of Hong Kong's
first refuse transfer station in Kowloon Bay (see P. 21).
A contract for the construction of a chemical waste
treatment centre at Tsing Yi would be awarded this year,
he said.
To round up the environment section in his speech, the
Governor referred to the newly enacted Noise Control
Ordinance which should be fully implemented by the middle of this year (see P. 18).
"These measures are not going to make Hong Kong a
quiet city/' he said. "But they will help to keep noise at a
more tolerable level."
Sewerage and Sewage Disposal
Hong Kong's sewerage is constructed with separate systems for foul and surface or storm water. Storm water
flows are discharged directly into streams, nullahs and
marine waters, while the contents of foul sewers are discharged to various types of treatment plants.
Industrial, commercial and residential developments all
discharge various types of waste water. The clean water, eg
from roof drainage, cooling processes and airconditioning,
should be discharged to the surface water sewerage system,
while the polluted flows, eg from lavatories, bathrooms,
kitchens and markets, should be discharged into the foul
sewers.

The Bulletin / January 1989

15

Many factories now use chemicals in the manufacturing Kong waters has been developed to test the various treatprocess and require to discharge residues and waste ma- ment and disposal options, and discharge locations. This
terials. These may be discharged to the foul sewers provid- mode! will also be used to predict the effects on water
ed they meet pollution control standards, set in order to quality of the massive reclamations planned to be construcprotect the sewerage system, people working in it, and the ted for port and airport facilities,
The sewage study will be complete by the end 1989, but
environment.
It may be necessary for some factories to install treat- the detailed design work and construction of the enormous
ment processes or to modify their procedures slightly in facilities will take a further five years.
"This other side of it, getting rid of it once you got it
order to meet these standards, but the overall cost is likely
ail in the right pipes is the sewage strategy study," says
to be quite low,
In practice, during Hong Kong's rapid development a pollution control expert, "We are looking at whether we
put it all into a very elaborate treatment works and turn
many factories and commercial developments have been
out
drinking water. You know along the Thames the water
constructed with discharges connected to the wrong sysin
the
taps has been through i think 13 sets of kidneys betem. The consequence of this is that in almost all urban
fore
it
gets
out to sea.
areas of Hong Kong (including the New Towns) both sys"That's
one
extreme. The other extreme is that you put
tems are polluted and need to be tackled.
in
these
huge
pipes
and huge pumps and you don't treat it.
The Environmental Protection Department has been proYou
pump
it
out
to
sea. But you do control what is going
gressively investigating factory and commercial buildings,
into
the
pipes.
If
it's
sewage it's no problem. This is what
identifying illegal and wrong connections in the drainage,
we
use
the
Water
Pollution
Control Ordinance for.
and recommending remedies. The enforcement action is
"One
of
the
advantages
I see with the long pipes and the
then taken up by the Buildings and Lands Department
pumps
is
that
it
is
a
very
robust
solution. It is quite simple
under the Buildings Ordinance.
to
keep
it
going.
If
maintenance
standards don't keep up
Though this work has achieved good results, it is painsto
what
they
might
be
it
still
functions.
And that is probtaking, and it will take many years to cover the more than
ably
a
better
solution
for
the
future
than
an
elaborate high15,000 factories that produce industrial effluents, apart
tech
treatment
plant.
from restaurants and other commercial establishments.
"If you go into China and look around their plants
In order to tackle the problems of polluted surface
you'll
see plants constructed by the French and the Gerwater systems on a regional basis, and ensure that there is
mans
and
the English. All are perfectly good plants which
sufficient capacity in the foul system to take the diverted
are
working.
But when you go and look at the pollution
flows, sewerage master plans are being developed for the
control
side
you
find nobody's been near it since it was
urban areas. The first of these, in East Kowloon, was startcommissioned,
it
is
not working.
ed in early 1987, and is now in the final stages.
"So
I
think
it
is
a bit of a question mark about how we
Survey work on this plan included closed circuit televiwould
maintain
the
system. But if you've got big pumps
sion in the sewers and laboratory analysis of the contents.
and big pipes you have got to keep it going, if the pumps
The surveys revealed that over half of the polluted flows in
aren't working then it would start to flood all over the
East Kowloon are discharged into the surface water system.
place. So it's not just a question of poor water quality.
A comprehensive plan has now been prepared to interYou're inundated. You've got to keep those pumps going.
cept these flows in areas where drainage modifications are
"But if you go the other route and you treat it you end
difficult, and to discharge them into the foul sewers. In
up with sludges. And sludges that, if you haven't controlled
other areas amended legislation will be implemented to
what's going into the sewage, contains all the nasties. They
compel dischargers to use the sewerage systems properly,
end up with the sludge and you've got to do something
A programme of construction costing over $600 million
with it. At the present time the most feasible way to get rid
will ensure that the foul sewerage system, presently overburdened for much of its length, will be able to handle the of it is to put it in the sea. So you end up doing the same
thing, dumping it out to sea.
increased demand.
"You could press it and dry it which is very expensive
To complement the sewerage master plans a study is
and then put it on a land-fill site. But that starts to build
being carried out to develop the sewage disposal facilities
up your land-fill site which you are trying to conserve."
that will be needed over the next two decades. The last reIn all this the businessman is not going to involved in all
view of the disposal system was in the early 1970s, which
that amount of expense, is he?
recommended that in the urban areas around Victoria
"The better the infrastructure the less he'll have to
Harbour, screening plants discharging to sea outfalls with
spend."
diffusers would provide the level of treatment required.
North West New Territories Trunk Sewer
With the increased levels of population and industry, and
This is a major scheme which is needed to cope with
the development of further reclamations, this strategy will
domestic and industrial wastes from the rapidly developno longer provide the standard of water quality required
ing northwest New Territories. The normal solution to disand there are signs already of local deterioration. The seposing of the wastes from these areas would be to treat the
wage disposal study is examining all the sources of sewage
wastes and dispose of them by the shortest route to Deep
in the urban area with the aim of developing an integrated
Bay.
system of treatment and disposal.
But Deep Bay is a highly sensitive environment which
In order to do this a computer-based mode! of Hong
can accept little in the way of increased pollution load.
16

The Bulletin / January 1989

The effluents will therefore be pumped to a preliminary

treatment plant at. San Wai and conveyed from there in a
3.9 km tunnel underneath the Castle Peak range before
being discharged into Urmston Road along a 2,6 km submarine outfall.
The first stage of this elaborate scheme to protect Deep
Bay is designed to cater for an initial population of 410,000
in the Yuen Long and Tin Shui Wai area. The sewerage system will be expanded in the second stage to meet the demand when the population increases to an estimate of
605,000 in later years.
Also, land is being set aside for secondary and, if necessary, tertiary sewage treatment works should this level of
treatment prove to be necessary,
The cost for the first stage is $561 million and this
should be completed by the end of 1994. If additional
treatment is required the cost will rise to over a billion
dollars.
Tolo Harbour Effluent Export Scheme
This scheme aims to kill two birds with one stone by on
the one hand reducing pollution levels in Tolo Harbour and
on the other improving conditions in the Kaitak Nullah,
To do this, treated effluent from Tai Po Sewage Treatment Works (STW) will be pumped to Sha Tin STW via a
submarine pipeline across Tolo Harbour where it will be
combined with the treated effluent from Shatin STW before being pumped through a tunnel under Tates Cairn to
the Kaitak Nullah.
The treated effluent produced by the two STWs in Tolo
Harbour meets normal international standards for secondary treatment but it still presents too great a pollution load
for the very sensitive environment in Toio Harbour, where
limited natural flushing and progressive reclamation present
severe constraints.
The diversion of the treated effluent to Victoria Harbour
via Kaitak Nullah, will have the benefit of providing a flushing flow of relatively clean water to the heavily polluted
Kaitak Nullah.
Construction of the scheme is programmed to start in
1990 and be completed in 1994. Estimated capital cost is
$553 million.
Livestock Waste
Livestock waste is one of the more serious sources of
organic pollution, which leads to depletion of oxygen in
marine and inland waters, killing aquatic life and reducing
the amenity value of the waters through smells and other
nuisances.
The first phase of a nine-year programme to control
livestock waste began in June last year when livestock
keeping was prohibited in all urban areas (which comprises
Hong Kong island, Kowloon and the New Towns), and subject to pollution control standards in the hinterlands of
Tolo Harbour, and Anglers and Silvermine Bay beach.
By last October 816 out of 831 farms in the areas where
livestock keeping is no longer allowed had given up the
business and the remaining few farms were winding down
their operations. Farms which were in active use when the
new controls came into operation are generally eligible to
receive an ex-gratia allowance when they cease operation.
Over 500 allowances have been paid to farmers in prohibition areas.

Enforcement.Lu>'f;-"7>,6nt action by EPD has until now centred on

the '.heprohib tionpi^moition areas. EPD staff have conducted 611 farm
visits for enforcement purposes and given 134 verbal warnings, In63C? of these cases a written warning has followed
where o/here .no accion has been observed, and in 44 cases a further written warning has been issued, The next step is prosecution, which is now being considered for several intractable cases.
in the control areas capital grants are provided by
Government to subsidise to a large extent the works needed
to convert farms to pollution controlled operation. EPD has
received 35 applications so far and has made payments on
10 of them, in addition 119 ex-gratia allowances have been
paid to farmers in control areas who opted to give up livestock keeping.
To support farmers' endeavours to control pollution
from livestock keeping the Government has set up demonstration treatment units at Ta Kwu Ling Government Farm,
in addition a number of private farms are being provided
with pollution control equipment to further demonstrate
the operation of such facilities to farmers.
Water Control Zones {WCZ)
The Water Pollution Control Ordinance allows for
phased declaration of WCZs so that sewage and industrial
effluents can be progressively brought under control by
a system of licensing.
So far, two WCZs have been declared: Tolo WCZ on
July 1, 1987 and the Southern WCZ on August 1, 1988.
The phasing for the remaining 8 WCZ's is:
- 1989/90 Port Shelter and junk Bay
- 1990/91 Deep Bay, North Western & Mirs Bay/Eastern
- 1991/92 Eastern Buffer, Wester Buffer & Victoria.
Junk Bay is accorded high priority because the area is
undergoing rapid and extensive urban and industrial development. The Government wishes to establish proper controls at the start so that the water which is such an important focal point of the New Town is maintained in satisfactory condition.
Port Shelter is an important recreational resource which
must be safeguarded. There are eight public bathing beaches
in the region, which is also the most popular area for
secondary contact water sports in Hong Kong.
Southern WCZ, which contains 21 gazetted public bathing beaches, was declared in August 1988 in view of the
continuing decline of beach water quality. This will bring
sewage discharges under control on the April 1, 1989
though some useful progress in improving the operation of
individual package sewage treatment plants in the area has
already been made.
Apart from legislative control, a large number of shortterm measures have been initiated and many of these
should be completed before the next swimming season.
These include the diversion of a major polluted stormwater
drain at Repulse Bay, interception of dry weather flow
from a number of drains at Stanley Main beach and repair
work on the Repulse Bay submarine outfall.
Other improvement works which will take a little longer
to implement are planned for Repulse Bay, Stanley Main,
Middle Bay, Chung Horn Kok, Rocky Bay/Shek O, Deep
Water Bay and Stanley Village Beach.

The Bulletin / January 1989

17