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Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, on the fly problem at the West New Territories (WENT) Landfill and air quality after attending a symposium today (October 18):
Reporter: Could you please tell us the latest development of the fly infestation? The other one is that the WHO (World Health Organization) confirmed that air pollution is a leading cause for cancer. Has this put pressure on your bureau to speed up measures to curb air pollution in Hong Kong?
Secretary for the Environment: Pardon me, what is the first question?
Reporter: The latest development of the fly infestation in the landfill. Have you found exactly what has caused the fly infestation?
Secretary for the Environment: My short response to the first question is that FEHD (Food and Environmental Hygiene Department) is the department that looks after this concern in Hong Kong. According to their expert, the source is yet to be identified. It is not necessarily related to the landfill. But I think it is a kind of territory-wide issue that is being handled by the department. Regarding your second question about air quality, the Government is really keen to help clean the air in Hong Kong. As announced earlier in March, we have the Clean Air Plan to comprehensively address the clean air concern in Hong Kong. We would like to invest more and also to have new regulations and initiatives to make our living environment safer and cleaner. I think all of us can appreciate that the big sum invested to phase out the pre-Euro IV diesel commercial vehicles is a very definite measure implemented by the Government to help clean the air.
Reporter: Coming back to the fly infestation, don't you think you should put the pressure to the FEHD to put more efforts to investigate because it would be going to increase the opposition among the public to have the landfill extension not around their surrounding areas next time? Don't you think they should speed it up?
Secretary for the Environment: I agree with you. Actually my colleagues have been co-operating with them over the time. It is important for them, being the expert, to identify the sources of the insects. So far they have not found any clue within the area of landfills. My team is still working with them, on the one hand, to try to identify the source, and at the same time we are stepping up our measures on-site including insect or pest control so that any chance of the spread of insects could be minimised.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
Ends/Friday, October 18, 2013
Issued at HKT 17:19
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