Category: Environment
Lam promises Lantau conservation cash and a start on Shek Kwu Chau
Cash for local conservation projects, a solar power trial and the start of work on the Shek Kwu Chau incinerator top the list of measures affecting Lantau in Carrie Lam’s first policy address.
Lam announced she would make available funding for “countryside conservation initiatives” in areas of Lantau, including Pui O, Tai O and Shui Hau. She said the government would
The Environment and Conservation Fund is a government body, set up in the mid-90s, which in its last funding round in 2013 was granted $5 billion.
A new body, the Countryside Conservation Office, may also be a source of funds for Lantau conservation. It has a $1 billion kitty and a brief to “co-ordinate conservation projects that promote sustainable development of remote countryside.”
Another green project on the drawing board is the implementation of large-scale floating solar farms on the surface of Shek Pik and a dozen other Hong Kong reservoirs, following successful trials at Shek Pik and Plover Cove.
The project with possibly the biggest impact on South Lantau in the coming years could be is the Shek Kwu Chau incinerator – officially known as ‘the integrated waste management facilities.’ Work on the project, just one kilometre off Lantau’s south coast, is due to get underway soon.
The EPD issued a tender for the $21 billion project last December. Lam said the government intended to
Complete the tendering exercise and commence the design and construction works for the phase 1 project of the Integrated Waste Management Facilities for [municipal solid waste] treatment.
As reported earlier, most Lantau commuters will likely qualify for the planned fare subsidy scheme.
In other initiatives:
* A “district cooling system” is under consideration for the new development projects at Tung Chung and the HK-Macau bridge landing zone. A district cooling system is a centralised system of chilled pipes that can cool multiple buildings.
* Lam confirmed the government would go ahead with a review of the city’s heavily-subsidised ferry services, including the possibility of extending the licensing period or even offering subsidies for vessel replacement.
* The CE said she would encourage “the extension of optical fibre networks to villages in rural and remote areas.” Currently 117,000 people in 380 villages lacked access to high-speed fibre, Lam said.
Photo (top): Pui O – ready for conservation?
Lantau hike to celebrate our country parks
While one part of the government is determined to build housing in Hong Kong’s country parks, another plans to celebrate it.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has launched a campaign to celebrate country park hiking trails, including those in Lantau.
A Lantau South Country Park hiking trail is one of six sites chosen for the campaign, one of a series of events to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the country parks.
Each of the six hikes will be led by guides who can explain the ecology and history of the parks.
The Lantau hike will run along the Lantau Trail Section 2 from Pak Kung Au to Nam Shan on November 19. Details are available here.
Calendar: Hiking Country Park trails
Tung Chung air hits danger zone again
Tung Chung air quality once again has reached the most hazardous levels on the government air quality index.
From 4pm-7pm Wednesday, air quality reached 10 and 10+ on the EPD’s Air Quality Health Index (AQHI).
It remained at 10+, the highest level, for more than an hour. At that level the EPD urges people to restrict outdoor activity to the minimum and for children and the elderly to stay indoor.
The index reading for the district remained low this morning, but with a warning of possibly high health risk this afternoon.
It is the second time in 12 days that Tung Chung air has hit hazardous level, a combination of high temperatures and low winds.
The HK Observatory has issued another very hot weather warning today, predicting temperature could reach 35. The temperature at Chek Lap Kok at 10am was 32 degrees.
Greenstyle offers chemical-free and certified organic
The latest on Mui Wo’s increasingly diverse retail scene is Greenstyle, an organic store selling green foods and products.
Opened two weeks ago, the store is run by local couple Gary Tsang and Edith Ng. Gary previously used to sell solar and wind power equipment, while Edith worked in cosmetics.
“We use natural rather than chemical ingredients,” Gary said. As well as selling the products, “we want make more people understand more about the environment.”
Since last week Greenstyle has been selling fresh vegetables, including kale, tomato, carrots, red beetroot and sweet potato.
The vegetables are sourced from Ecofarm, an FDA-certified farm in Jiangxi, China, run by two former Hong Kong University professors.
Gary, whose grandfather has a farm in Cheung Sha, says he’s next planning to buy from local Lantau organic farms. An online store for the website is also on the way.
As well as food and snacks, Greenstyle stocks skincare, healthcare, natural household and baby food products. Most are imported through a local agent.
What: Greenstyle
Where: Shop J, Sea View Building, Mui Wo (opposite Park’n’Shop)
Web: www.hkgreenstyle.com
Contact: Email garytsang@hkgreenstyle.com Phone 2981 8860
After peak smog yesterday, another bad-air day ahead
After a day of hazardous air yesterday, Hong Kong is set for a hot, hazy Sunday.
Late Saturday afternoon 15 districts, including Tung Chung, reached 10+, or ‘serious’ – the highest level on the government Air Quality Health Index (AQHI).
At that level, the public is advised to reduce outdoor activity to a minimum, and children and the elderly are asked to avoid staying outdoors.
The index forecasts moderate to very high levels this afternoon.
The Environmental Protection Department says light winds and intense sunshine, under the influence of an anti-cyclone, are trapping pollutants and enhancing photo-chemical smog activity.
The Hong Kong Observatory forecasts a likely change on Monday as stronger east to northeast winds arrive.
The Observatory has also issued a hot weather warning, with temperature expected to reach 34 degrees.
Hong Kong air quality trackers
- Environment Protection Department AQHI
- Weather Underground of Hong Kong Index (measures Hong Kong readings using US AQI methodology)
- China government AQI (includes all areas of Hong Kong)
(Photo: Headline Daily)
Volunteers clean up Shui Hau but may need to return
More than 40 volunteers yesterday collected 150 bags of rubbish dumped on Shui Hau mangroves by typhoons three weeks ago.
The slow-moving currents of Shui Hau bay had been unable to wash way the rubbish deposited by typhoons Hato and Pakhar, while hundreds of plastic bags had been caught on mangrove branches.
Organiser Ho Loy, chairman of the Lantau Buffalo Assocation, warns that more cleaning up may be required.
She said that yesterday’s three-hour cleanup removed the plastic bags and general rubbish from just a quarter of the mangroves.
“Don’t rule out a second round of action in the short term,” she said in a Facebook post, warning that two more big winds may be on the way.
Photos: Ho Loy
Tung Chung air hits danger level as Amy Yung calls for EPD answers
Tung Chung’s air quality yesterday hit dangerous levels, with more bad air on its way.
The government Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 10+ – its highest level – in Tung Chung, Tuen Mun and Yuen Long on Tuesday afternoon, a result of high temperatures and light winds.
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) says the hot, still conditions are the result of a subtropical ridge which will continue today. It said in a statement:
Hong Kong will remain very hot with sunny periods. Showers will increase gradually in the latter part of this week. It is expected that pollution levels will remain higher than normal until then.
The department warns that when AQI readings reach the 10+ or “serious” level, children, elderly and people with heart or respiratory illnesses are advised to stay indoors.
The general public is advised to reduce to the minimum outdoor physical exertion, and to reduce to the minimum the time of their stay outdoors, especially in areas with heavy traffic.
Islands District Councillor Amy Yung has called on the EPD to explain the “continued deterioration of air quality in Tung Chung.”
In a question tabled prior to yesterday’s readings, Yung asked EPD officials to attend next Monday’s council meeting to advise what measures have been formulated to improve Tung Chung’s air.
Tung Chung historically has had some of the city’s worst air quality, a result of its proximity to the airport and the Pearl River as well as the basin effect of mountains on three sides.
The area is in the throes of a massive expansion in population, from 80,000 today to an estimated 268,000 in the middle of the next decade.
A maximum of 34.3 degrees was recorded at Chek Lap Kok yesterday. At 11:45 today the temperature at Chek Lap Kok was 31.1 degrees.
Residents head to the beach to clean up after Hato
Local residents have organised beach cleanups for Cheung Sha and Silvermine Bay in the next two days.
Cheung Sha’s Frankie McYuen has called for help in removing rubbish from the beach Friday afternoon. He is generously laying on a barbecue and salad for all participants, starting from 4pm. He adds:
I have co-ordinated with the beach cleaner contractors so we will have some gloves, rakes and rubbish bags. (Approx. 20 sets)
Please bring your own tools if you have. And remember sunscreen, hats, spare T-shirts can always help.
Cheung Sha Beach today (Photo: Frankie McYuen)
In Mui Wo, Daphne Chu, who organised the palm oil cleanup of Pui O Beach two weeks ago, has called for volunteers to gather at Silvermine Beach at 9:30am on Saturday.
She advises participants to bring their own gloves and water. Register on Facebook before 5pm August 25.
Palm oil spill: beaches reopen but questions remain
Two weeks after a maritime collision caused a massive palm oil spill, the impact is receding and some of the oil is to be recycled, but key questions remain.
The circumstances surrounding the accident are not clear. It has not been explained why Guangdong officials took two days to notify Hong Kong about the spill on the city’s boundary.
It is also not known how much material remains in the water and the longer-term impact on marine life and coastlines.
The government, which is yet to confirm the exact location of the event, denies misleading the public by claiming it occurred in the Pearl River Estuary. Technically the site of the collision, 12 kilometres south of Lantau, is part of the estuary, but the description suggests the Pearl River to Lantau’s west or north-west.
What we know about the location is through Roy Tam, the head of environmental group Green Sense, who says he learnt from the Marine Department that the collision took place just south of Dazhizhou island, four kilometres from the Hong Kong maritime boundary.
The site of the collision, 12km south of Lantau (Source: Green Sense)
Green Sense has posted a video showing the route of the Panama-registered tanker, Global Apollon, on the morning of August 3. It was carrying 9000 tonnes of palm oil from Indonesia when it collided with Singapore-registered container ship Kota Ganteng.
The 10,700-tonne vessel is still anchored off Guishan, just west of Dazhizhou, according to shipping website maritimetraffic.com.
Tam and other activists have criticised Guangdong authorities about the delay in informing the Hong Kong government and urged them to improve their incident reporting systems, Apple Daily reports.
The Marine Department has said it is consulting with the Justice Department over legal action against the shipowners.
In another development, the Environment Protection Department is reported to have struck a deal with two companies to recycle some of the 207 tonnes of palm oil stearin collected on local beaches. But an EPD official admitted to SCMP.com:
…only some of the palm oil collected would be suitable for recycling. Some of it had been contaminated and would inevitably end up in a landfill.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department reopened Pui O Beach on Tuesday afternoon. All Lantau beaches affected by the spill are now open to the public, although five Hong Kong beaches remain closed.
With the worst of the immediate impact over, the longer-term impacts need to be monitored. The government says its testing shows that the oil content of water “remains at a low level.”
But it is not clear how much oil remains in the water and how it will impact on the marine environment. In sufficiently large volumes palm oil has the ability to soak up bacteria, infecting all levels of the food chain.
Photo (top): Global Apollon (Source: maritimetraffic.com)
UPDATE: Govt under scrutiny over oil spill location and beach hazards
(UPDATING EARLIER STORY) The government handling of the palm oil spill is under scrutiny on multiple fronts with the revelation that it took place just 4km from local waters and amid claims that it is downplaying the health risks.
Roy Tam from environmental group Green Sense says he’s been told by the Marine Department the collision on August 3 took place only 5.7 kilometres away from the Soko Islands, just off Lantau’s southern coast, and only four kilometres from local waters.
But the government has described the incident as taking place in the Pearl River Estuary, which does cover waters south of Lantau, but the phrase suggests it was some distance from the city and most likely west or northwest of Lantau Tam told told Hong Kong Free Press:
“I don’t understand why the Hong Kong government did not use a more familiar name to refer to the location of the crash. When they say ‘Pearl River estuary,’ the inference is that it is far away from Hong Kong. However, the collision happened only four kilometres from us… ”
The government has also begun reopening beaches, including three on Lantau, but has been accused of ignoring the health hazards posed by the palm oil debris. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department believes Hong Kong beaches could be hit by as much as 700 tonnes of palm oil next week, depending on currents.
Robert Lockyer, a marine environmental campaigner who has organised cleanup operations on Lamma, warns that while palm oil is safe in small quantities, in large volumes it functions “like a huge petri dish for bacteria.”
He urges the public to stay away from all beaches until the spill has been completely cleaned. Several volunteers who had helped collected oil debris on Lamma over the weekend had become ill, reporting vomiting, diarrhoea and nausea, he said.
Collected from Pui O Beach on Saturday(Photo: Daphne Chu)
Lamma beaches and Pui O Beach on Lantau remain closed, but last Saturday the government announced Upper Cheung Sha, Lower Cheung Sha and Tong Fuk beaches had reopened to the public. Volunteer cleaning operations took place at Pui O as well as Lamma on the weekend.
Lockyer said local people were collecting the material and taking it home for candles or soap-making, believing it to be safe. One woman even said she would use it to cook food for pets. “We need to get the information out that this is not cool to be taking home.”
A press release issued on behalf of Lockyer and the volunteers states:
The palm oil coats plastic trash and the plastic trash floats ashore, collecting marine bacteria and micro-organisms as it lands on the beach or in the sand and decays. Clumps of palm stearin absorb micro-plastics, marine debris and chemicals dumped into the sea.
Volunteers collect palm oil on Pui Beach
A spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Department said it would continue monitoring the situation. “It has been safe so far,” she added.
The department said today it had found a “significant improvement” in the level of oil in the water but urged swimmers to “not to play with or take in palm stearin, and to rinse their feet before entering changing rooms.”
It said it would work with other departments in monitoring the spill helping the cleanup, “with a view to reopening the remaining beaches concerned as soon as possible.”
Lantau Confidential 