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Following is a question by the Hon Hon Ho Chung-tai and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, at the Legislative Council meeting today (May 28) :

Question:

It has been reported that mobile toilets in country parks have no flushing devices, which easily gives rise to public hygiene problems. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether it has received complaints about hygiene problems of the mobile toilets over the past three years; if so, of the details;

(b) whether the mobile toilets are regularly cleansed and disinfected; if so, of the details;

(c) of the percentage of those country parks without permanent toilet facilities in all country parks in the territory, and whether the authorities have plans to replace these mobile toilets with permanent toilet facilities; if not, of the reasons for that; and

(d) of the ways to avoid or reduce the use of vehicles for carrying human waste from the mobile toilets to sewage treatment plants, so as to minimize the chance of cross-infection?

Reply:

Madam President,

(a) According to the record of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the Department received about 10 complaints related to mobile toilets in country parks in the past three years. The issues raised mainly concerned the cleanliness of the mobile toilets, the lack of water supply and damages caused by vandalism. In general, the issues raised were resolved within a day or two.

(b) Mobile toilets in the country parks are cleansed and disinfected once to several times a day, and the sewage is tanked away about four to seven times a week depending on the utilization rate of the facilities. Moreover, water storage tanks of the mobile toilets are regularly refilled to provide water for flushing and hand washing.

(c) Of the 23 country parks in Hong Kong, 19 are provided with permanent toilets with flushing facility. Mobile toilets are provided where site constraints make the provision of permanent toilet facilities technically infeasible, or in areas within water gathering grounds where there are no public sewers. Mobile toilets are meeting the operational needs of the country parks and AFCD has no plan to replace them with permanent toilet facilities.

(d) Cleansing contractors are employed to tank away sewage from the mobile toilets to sewage treatment plants using specialized vehicles. AFCD will continue to closely monitor the work involved to ensure that the sewage is handled properly and no public hygiene problem is caused.

End/Wednesday, May 28, 2003

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