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Following is a question by the Dr Hon Priscilla Leung and a reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, in the Legislative Council today (October 28):
Question:
On June 26 this year, the Finance Committee of this Council approved the funding application for the project on further enhancing the quality of coastal waters of the Victoria Harbour so that the authorities might commission a consultancy study on how to reduce near shore pollution and enhance the quality of coastal waters of the Victoria Harbour. On the other hand, I have received a number of complaints from members of the public that the coastal waters of the Victoria Harbour give off very strong stenches, which has caused serious nuisance to members of the public. The problem is particularly serious in areas along the Hung Hom Promenade. After enquiring with a number of government departments, I have found that one of the causes for the emission of stenches from the seawater is that the foul water pipes of some private buildings in Hung Hom have been misconnected to the stormwater drainage system ("foul water pipe misconnection"). In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the number of foul water pipe misconnection cases followed up by the authorities in each year since 2013; among such cases, the number of those in which sewage was discharged into the Victoria Harbour Water Control Zone and the number of rectified cases, with a breakdown by District Council district;
(2) of the respective numbers of foul water pipe misconnection cases since 2013 in which rectification was made after warnings or advice had been issued to the persons concerned, cases in which rectification was made after the persons concerned had been prosecuted or statutory repair orders had been issued by the authorities, and cases in which the authorities implemented measures to rectify the misconnection because no rectification had been made despite the aforesaid law enforcement actions taken by the authorities; whether the authorities have reviewed the effectiveness of such law enforcement actions; if they have, of the outcome; and
(3) given that the aforesaid consultancy study will not be completed until early 2018, whether the authorities will, prior to the implementation of the measures to be proposed by the consultancy study, step up inspections and efforts in combating illegal discharge of wastewater and sewage, and enhance the initiatives to rectify foul water pipe misconnection, so as to demonstrate the determination of the Government to enhance the quality of coastal waters and develop a water-friendly culture?
Reply:
President,
The Government has been taking actions and allocating resources to improve the sewage collection and treatment systems for enhancing the quality of coastal waters of the Victoria Harbour. With the phased implementation of the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS), the water quality of the Victoria Harbour has been significantly improved. Upon the completion of the HATS Stage 2A by the end of this year, the water quality of the Victoria Harbour will be further enhanced. However, the densely-populated coastal areas have been developed for many years; some sewage discharges are not diverted into the public sewers network and some sewage and pollutants are discharged via storm water drains into the coastal waters of the Victoria Harbour causing odour problem. These discharges arise from various pollution sources, including misconnections of foul water pipes from buildings and public sewers to the storm drain systems, as well as street-side pollutants that enter the storm drain system etc. In order to reduce pollution of the near shore waters, the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has taken a series of measures in collaboration with other departments. They include:
(a) The EPD, Buildings Department (BD) and Drainage Services Department (DSD) jointly follow up and rectify the foul water pipe misconnection cases;
(b) The DSD carries out inspections, repairs and clearing of sediments for the public sewers and storm drainage systems on a regular basis;
(c) The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and Highways Department provide routine rubbish cleansing services for public places and streets, as well as regular clearing of sediment in gully traps to reduce the amount of pollutants discharged into the storm drainage system, thereby affecting the near shore water quality and generating odour problem; and
(d) The Marine Department (MD) cleans up floating refuse and provides free refuse collection service for vessels on a daily basis to prevent potential odour generated by the marine refuse.
Regarding the control of wastewater discharge, the EPD applies the Water Pollution Control Ordinance in seeking to intercept illegal discharge of sewage or other pollutants, whereas the BD regulates foul water pipe misconnections found in buildings under the Buildings Ordinance. In addition, the FEHD seeks to tackle illegal discharge of wastewater into storm water drains in order to reduce the amount of pollutants entering the storm water drains.
Misconnected foul water pipes within buildings are unauthorised building works (UBW), the BD will take enforcement action in accordance with the Buildings Ordinance and the prevailing enforcement policy. In handling such cases, it takes time for the BD to carry out investigations to identify the units and the owners involved. When the concerned owners are identified, the BD will notify them and request arrangement of repair works in the first place. Where no repair works is carried out by the owners, the BD will serve removal or repair orders to them demanding necessary works to be commenced and completed within a specified period. Those owners who fail to comply with the orders may be prosecuted, and the cost for government contractors to carry out the necessary works will be recovered from the owners. The BD takes enforcement action against foul water pipe misconnections in buildings as an on-going commitment, and will continue to work on such cases with the EPD and other departments concerned.
Regarding the questions raised by Dr Hon Priscilla Leung:
(1) The EPD found a total of 276 foul water pipe misconnection cases in Hong Kong between 2013 and September 2015. Among them, 157 cases or 57 per cent were found within the Victoria Harbour Water Control Zone, of which 121 cases (about 77 per cent) were rectified and the remaining 36 cases are being processed. Please refer to the enclosure for a breakdown of these cases by District Council.
(2) Of the 276 cases stated above, about 80 per cent or 218 cases were rectified after warnings or advice had been issued and three cases were rectified after repair orders had been served. We are currently following up on the remaining 20 per cent of the cases. Our experience indicates that the enforcement actions have been effective. However, there are many pollution sources and also various factors causing the odour, we are therefore making preparations now to commence a consultancy study in order to formulate detailed improvement proposals.
(3) The tendering of the said consultancy study is now underway. It is expected to begin early next year and specific recommendations will be drawn up upon completion in two years' time. While the study is being conducted, relevant government departments will step up the following measures in tackling the water quality and odour problems found in the near shore waters:
(i) Firstly, the EPD will progressively conduct surveys on foul water pipe misconnections in the Victoria Harbour areas. The EPD will tackle identified misconnection cases speedily together with the relevant departments. The survey for Hung Hom is underway and is scheduled for completion by the end of next year. The one for Wong Tai Sin will begin early next year. In addition, the EPD will check against illegal discharges during routine inspections and take enforcement actions against them. The DSD will also rectify any misconnections found in the public sewer systems.
(ii) Furthermore, the DSD will seek funding approval for the Upgrading of Central and East Kowloon Sewerage Project - Phase 3. Apart from increasing the loading capacity of the sewerage systems, the project will also improve about seven kilometres of existing sewers in San Po Kong, Kowloon City, To Kwa Wan, Hung Hom and Tsim Sha Tsui. The improvement works would help reduce and prevent untreated sewage from entering into the storm drainage systems.
(iii) Regarding the odour problem at the Hung Hom Promenade, the DSD is exploring with the EPD the feasibility of installing dry weather flow interceptor in the district. In addition, the DSD conducted cleansing works for the box culverts and the outfalls in the vicinity in mid-2015, and would increase the frequency of cleansing when necessary with a view to relieving the odour problem at the Hung Hom Promenade.
In conclusion, we fully understand the public expectations in resolving the water quality and odour problems in the near shore areas of Victoria Harbour. Through the consultancy project, we would develop detailed plans from the perspective of pollution prevention and control at the sources in order to resolve the problems in the long run. During the interim, we will continue to make the best efforts to take feasible measures in order to reduce foul water discharges into the coastal waters of Victoria Harbour.
Thank you, President.
Ends/Wednesday, October 28, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:17
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