ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN HONG KONG Our environment What is your impression of Hong Kong? A fastgrowing, dynamic city, a great centre for manufacturing and commerce and a world leader in trade? Or a place that is spoilt by worsening air pollution, by reclamation of the harbour that threatens to overwhelm our greatest natural asset, and by a pace of earning that is given far more importance than a sustainable quality of life? There is truth in both impressions. Areas of great beauty still exist in Hong Kong think of the green hills of Lantau and Sai Kung, or the many recreational beaches. Yet the environment is under stress in many areas as a result of two decades of rapid economic growth and a high urban density. Road traffic has doubled in the past decade, pushing air pollution to unhealthy levels, while solid waste and sewage loads have risen in direct proportion to community wealth, which increased by 100 per cent between 1980 and 1990 alone. The Chief Executive, Mr. Tung Chee-hwa and the Director of Environmental Protection, Mr. Robert Law. Against these concerns, however, there has been progress towards a better environment. Even in 1997 a momentous and challenging year for Hong Kong efforts continued apace to bring about improvements and protection against future problems. The handover and establishment of the Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government brought with it new priorities, particularly in an accelerated housing Improving the quality of the environment is as vital as economic growth to improving our quality of life. (Mr. Tung Chee-hwa, Chief Executive of Hong Kong SAR, at the opening of the 1997/98 Session of the Provisional Legislative Council.) 8 ENVIRONMENT HONG KONG 1998
Collaboration between State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), China and Environmental Protection Department, Hong Kong. (Front from left: Mr. Robert Law, Director of Environmental Protection, and Mr. Xie Zhen-hua, Minister of SEPA.) programme, but environmental input and programmes were not diminished. Among the many environmental achievements of 1997 were the enactment of the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, the extension of livestock waste controls throughout the SAR, the opening of a major sewage treatment works on Stonecutters Island, the start of a one-year trial of taxis running on liquefied petroleum gas, and continued cooperation with mainland authorities on cross-border issues. Stewardship It has often been said that the environmental problems of today stem from past neglect. This assumes, however, that everybody recognized the problems and understood how best to prevent them. But environmental science was very new to the world in the mid-1970s, when the Hong Kong Government first undertook a comprehensive review of the territory's environmental quality. Since then the government has moved progressively to establish a firm commitment to proper stewardship of the environment. The review resulted in the establishment of an Environmental Protection Unit in 1977, which drafted early policies to prevent excessive pollution and coordinated pollution control work among various departments. The unit was upgraded to an Environmental Protection Agency in 1981 with a wider brief to develop comprehensive pollution control programmes, but with powers that were still supervisory. This was soon to change because the growth of new towns and a developing political sense heightened concern for the environment in the 1980s, and there emerged a need for a department with a strong pollution control function. The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) was established in 1986, absorbing resources from six government departments. It took over responsibility for all pollution prevention and control measures, including planning Hong Kong's sewage and waste management programmes, while responsibility for conservation remained with the Agriculture and Fisheries Department. The EPD's wide-ranging functions include assisting in the formulation of policy, enforcing environmental legislation, monitoring environmental quality, and providing collection, transfer, treatment and disposal facilities for many types of waste. However, it still has an advisory function in dealing with the environmental implications of town plans or new policies that ENVIRONMENT HONG KONG 1998 9
Department Main Work Area (including but not limiting to the following) Resource $ Million % Environmental Protection enforcement of environmental protection legislation; environmental monitoring; development of sewage and waste disposal programmes; policy development; planning against pollution and provision of waste treatment and disposal services 4,029.6 38.7 Agriculture and Fisheries livestock farm licensing scheme; management of agricultural weirs 15.6 0.1 Architectural Services setting up and maintaining an environmental management system for the department s activities 269.1 2.6 Civil Engineering provision of disposal facilities for public fill 405.1 3.9 Drainage Services design, construction and operation of waste-water collection, treatment and disposal facilities 2,740.3 26.3 Education noise abatement programme in schools; environmental education activities for students, teachers and technicians 150.7 1.5 Electrical and Mechanical Services phasing out the use of CFC and halon in government buildings and vehicles 84.5 0.8 Government Laboratory laboratory services for air and water pollution control and waste management 33.7 0.3 Highways provision of noise barrier; laying of noise reduction surfacing material on highways 104.4 1.0 Housing environmental consultancy studies for public housing development 31.6 0.3 Industry accrediting laboratories performing environmental testing; funding support to environmental projects 7.4 0.1 Marine marine oil pollution control and floating refuse collection 43 0.4 Planning environmental impact assessment studies for the department s projects 9.5 0.1 Regional Services municipal waste collection services; anti-littering activities 941.3 9.0 Territory Development environmental impact assessment studies for the department s projects; design and construction of sewerage project 361.8 3.5 Urban Services municipal waste collection services; anti-littering activities 1,187.0 11.4... 10,414.6 100 Table 1 - Estimates of government resources devoted to environmental protection work in 1997. 10 ENVIRONMENT HONG KONG 1998
could have a significant adverse effect on the environment. The department also handles enquiries and complaints about the environment. Soon after the establishment of the EPD, a Secretary for Planning, Environment and Lands was appointed with overall responsibility for environmental policy. In addition to assistance from the EPD, he receives advice from the Advisory Council on the Environment, which represents community interests. For major policy initiatives, such as those involving new legislation, the Secretary must obtain the approval of the Executive Council and the Legislative Council, which passes laws, approves funding and monitors government policy. The Legislative Council has also set up a panel on environmental affairs for exchanging views on environmental and conservation issues. Other government departments are also involved in environmental protection and Table 1 summarizes their work and the approximate amounts of money they spent. And of course, the community has an important role in environmental protection. Since their inauguration, the district boards, especially the elected local representatives, have been very effective in bringing problems to the attention of the government and monitoring the effects of environmental policies in their constituencies. In addition, various community groups and professional bodies have all played their part in contributing to our understanding of the environment and to its protection. These groups are listed in Sections 8(e) and 9(f). Policy and planning The backbone of environmental policy-making is the 1989 White Paper, Pollution in Hong Kong: A Time to Act, which laid down the framework for a comprehensive 10-year plan to fight pollution and set out policy objectives for air, noise, water, waste, planning against pollution, enforcement and environmental education. It is now close to completion. The White Paper included a commitment to review progress and report to the Executive Council at two-year intervals. The second review published in 1993 added the concept of sustainability to previous commitments on planning and pollution control, and the third review in March 1996 pointed out that we must start examining the sustainability of our way of life if Hong Kong is to thrive in the 21st century. This focus on sustainability echoed efforts elsewhere in the world to grapple with the outcome of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. One of the documents agreed there, Agenda 21, requires signatory nations, including China and Britain, to formulate national sustainability plans. In recognition of this, the government began a 30- month "Study on Sustainable Development for the 21st Century (SUSDEV21) in September 1997. Among other things, it will define what the term "sustainable development" should mean for Hong Kong and will devise guiding values, indicators and criteria covering economic, social and environmental objectives. In addition to this long-term planning for sustainability, the government has already instituted measures to curb localised environmental problems at all stages of development planning. Any proposals submitted to the Executive Council, and any funding requests to the Public Works Sub-Committee of the Legislative Council's Finance Committee, must contain a statement of environmental implications where applicable. Environmental assessments are also now integrated in land use planning and there have been benefits at all levels, including the Territorial Development Strategy Review (completed in mid-1996), sub-regional development strategy reviews and district planning. In 1997, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Ordinance was enacted, giving a statutory framework to the EIA process. Legislation and pollution control Planning to prevent future problems is only part of the equation. The government also needs to deal with the present pollution in Hong Kong. Major pollution control laws are now in place affecting air, water, ENVIRONMENT HONG KONG 1998 11
waste and noise and the EPD is responsible for implementing most of the measures in the main pollution control ordinances. The EIA Ordinance, mentioned above, was the major development in environmental legislation in 1997 and gave legal backing to what was previously an administrative EIA requirement for most major projects. All specified developments now must conduct EIAs and carry out mitigation measures or other outcomes of the EIA process, or face prosecution. Air pollution is controlled through the Air Pollution Control Ordinance. Its subsidiary legislation was extended in 1997 to cover construction dust and tighten emission standards from large diesel vehicles and the sulphur content in motor fuel. The Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance is another airrelated law which bans the import and manufacture of substances that deplete the ozone layer and enables Hong Kong to meet its international obligations under the 1987 Montreal Protocol on the issue. Water pollution is controlled through the Water Pollution Control Ordinance. Like the other pollution ordinances, it controls discharges through a licensing system and more than 5,600 licences were issued in 1997. Another water-related law is the Dumping At Sea Ordinance passed in 1995, which enables Hong Kong to fulfil its obligations under the London Convention to prevent damage to the marine environment from dumping waste in the water. Water quality is also affected by livestock waste, which is controlled under the Waste Disposal Ordinance. These controls were extended to cover all of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 1997. Efforts were also stepped up in 1997 to enforce amendments passed in September 1996 to control the import and export of waste. The Noise Control Ordinance was amended in 1997 to tighten control on percussive piling noise, a long-standing source of complaints from the public. Vehicle burglar alarms were also brought under control. The main enforcement body for these laws is the Local Control Office staff. There are six offices organized to cover the whole territory along district board boundaries, which enables better contact with the local community. The staff license and approve operations and processes which cause pollution, make regular inspections, respond to complaints from the public and prosecute offenders. In 1997 they made more than 70,000 inspections resulting in more than 1,000 prosecutions, and handled more than 9,000 North Territory North Local Control Office Territory West Tai Po Tuen Mun Tsuen Wan Urban West Sha Tin Kwai Tsing Sham Wong Tai Sin Shui Po Urban East Kwun Tong Kowloon Yau Tsim City Mong Central & Western Wan Chai Southern Eastern Sai Kung Territory East Territory South Boundary Map. Island Legends Boundaries Board Electoral Boundaries 12 ENVIRONMENT HONG KONG 1998
complaints from the public. An important tool in the development of legislation is that of monitoring the environment to identify the sources and quantities of pollution generated by the community, and their effects. The EPD has a comprehensive monitoring programme, especially for water and air quality and waste loads, and this gives an objective basis for new laws, policies and programmes. It has also computer modelling programmes to predict future problems and in 1997 new up-to-date programmes were introduced for waste arisings and water quality. Programmes and services A number of programmes and services have been introduced alongside legislation to remove or control pollution. The greatest effort has been towards controlling waste. Waste disposal services have received large inputs of capital and during this decade three strategic landfills were built, a Chemical Waste Treatment Centre on Tsing Yi Island began operation and much of the groundwork for the Strategic Sewage Disposal Strategy was laid. In 1997 the last operating incinerator in Hong Kong at Kwai Chung was closed and two new refuse transfer stations were opened at West Kowloon and Hong Kong Island West to service the landfills. The Draft Waste Reduction Plan was also released for public consultat- ion and should be implemented starting in 1998. On the water side, a major works for sewage was opened on Stonecutters Island, an improved beach water quality monitoring programme was introduced and assessments were begun on the sewage impacts of the new housing programme to build 85,000 flats a year. A one-year trial programme to address air pollution from vehicles was begun when 30 taxis powered by liquefied petroleum gas were put on the road in December 1997. Improvements were also introduced in the testing of smoky vehicles. Controls on road noise continued with a programme to re-surface noisy roads with quieter material and build barriers along new roads. The problem of aircraft noise from Kai Tak airport, which affects 380,000 people, will cease in 1998 when the new airport opens at Chek Lap Kok. Community awareness and participation in environmental protection was encouraged through the opening of a new Environmental Resource Centre in Tsuen Wan in 1997, activities to commemorate World Environment Day and the Environmental Protection Festival, and an expanded Schools Environmental Protection Ambassador Scheme. One of the projects for World Environment Day was a one-day waste paper recycling project, which collected 27 tonnes of paper. There are plans to follow it with an expanded scheme in 1998. Meanwhile, the SAR Government worked to put its own house in good environmental order with a substantial boost to the Green Manager Scheme which saw hundreds of government officers trained on how to carry out environmental audits of their departments. Cross-border co-operation It is well-recognized that pollution respects no boundaries, particularly air and water pollution, and in 1990 the Hong Kong Guangdong Environmental Protection Liaison Group was established to see how the two administrations could work together to understand and control regional pollution. The group meets regularly and its first focus was on Deep Bay where there have been joint pollution monitoring exercises and agreement on water quality objectives. Mirs Bay has become a more recent focus of the group which has agreed that the good water quality of the bay should be maintained. Air quality became a focus of concern in 1997 when the group discussed how to set up an expert panel to investigate the sources and paths of air pollution in the region. Hong Kong and the mainland are also working together to find ways to protect the Chinese White Dolphin. ENVIRONMENT HONG KONG 1998 13