​Hongkong Post announced today (January 28) that, as advised by airlines, mail delivery services to the United Kingdom, previously impacted by a mail backlog at United Kingdom airports, have returned to normal. read more
To strengthen the promotion of water conservation, the Water Supplies Department (WSD) has commissioned the University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) Centre for Water Technology and Policy to implement the Water-smart Taskforce Programme from February to early 2026 to offer water-saving advice to customers that have high water consumption. The HKU team will install a high-resolution smart device on top of each selected customer’s billing meter to identify causes of high water usage by analysing water usage data of the customer’s premise with the aid of artificial intelligence. A tailored report offering water-saving advice and alerts on any potential leaks will be provided for the customer to reduce water consumption and therefore save on water charges.
The WSD has started to invite appropriate customers by mail to join the Programme in batches. Participation in the Programme is free of charge and the number of selected participants is limited. The WSD encourages customers to participate in the Programme upon receipt of an invitation.
By implementation of this Programme, the WSD aims to achieve a reduction in water consumption of 500 000 cubic metres this year, which is equivalent to 200 Olympic-size swimming pools. Earlier, the WSD conducted a trial programme on a smaller scale in Tai O. The trial achieved a 6 per cent reduction in water consumption by the participating families. The result was remarkable.
According to the WSD’s big data analysis, water consumption by about 1 per cent of WSD customer groups (including domestic and non-domestic customers) has accounted for over 30 per cent of the city’s total water consumption. The Programme is set up to offer tailored water-saving advice to these high-consumption customers so as to reduce overall water consumption. The WSD launched a new round of the water conservation campaign “Save Water Today for a Sustainable Future” in February last year. With the efforts made for nearly one year, per capita domestic fresh water consumption has lowered from about 151 litres per day at the peak during the pandemic to about 133 litres per day now, which is on a par with the pre-pandemic period representing a 12 per cent decrease. This shows that the department’s water conservation promotion measures are taking effect progressively.
Details of the Water-smart Taskforce Programme are available on WSD’s dedicated webpage. For enquiries on the Programme, please call WSD’s 24-hour Customer Enquiry Hotline 2824 5000. read more
The Government gazetted today (January 28) the Chief Executive’s appointment of Professor Desmond Hui Cheuk-kuen as the Chairman of the Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB), the appointment of nine new members and the reappointment of 10 incumbent members to the AAB for a term of two years with effect from January 1, 2025.
The new members are Miss Chan Ka-man, Ms Amy Cheung Yi-mei, Mr Chiu Kam-kuen, Mr Donald Choi Wun-hing, Dr Samantha Kong Wing-man, Professor Sunnie Lau Sing-yeung, Ms Christina Maisenne Lee, Mr Lee Tsz-leung, and Mr Donald Man Ka-ho.
The appointments and reappointments were made under section 17(1) of the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (Cap. 53).
The Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, welcomed the appointments and reappointments. She said, “The AAB has made substantial contributions to heritage conservation, providing invaluable advice on the grading assessment of historic buildings and related conservation proposals over the years. Professor Hui was previously the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Built Heritage Conservation. With Professor Hui’s extensive experience and new members from various fields and professions on board, I am confident that this new composition will bring in valuable insight for the work of the AAB. I look forward to working with the new Board.”
Ms Linn thanked the outgoing Chairman, Professor Douglas So Cheung-tak, who has served as a member of the Board since 2017, and assumed the Board’s chairmanship in 2019. She said, “Under Professor So’s exemplary leadership, the AAB has provided valuable advice to the Government. His contributions to promoting the work of the AAB and heritage conservation are widely acknowledged and appreciated.”
Ms Linn also expressed gratitude to the 10 outgoing members, Ms Vanessa Cheung Tih-lin, Professor Chu Hoi-shan, Mr Ho Kui-yip, Dr Tony Ip Chung-man, Dr Jane Lee Ching-yee, Professor Phyllis Li Chi-miu, Mr Shum Ho-kit, Mr Brian Tsang Chiu-tong, Miss Theresa Yeung Wing-shan and Ms Alice Yip Ka-ming for their remarkable service on the AAB.
The AAB is a statutory body established under the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance to advise the Antiquities Authority (i.e. the Secretary for Development) on matters relating to antiquities and monuments. The new term of the AAB comprises 20 members (including the Chairman), who are all appointed in their personal capacity.
The membership of the AAB in its new term is as follows:
Chairman
————
Professor Desmond Hui Cheuk-kuen*
Members
———–
Professor Selina Chan Ching
Mr Vincent Chan Chun-hung
Miss Chan Ka-man*
Professor Cheung Sui-wai
Ms Amy Cheung Yi-mei*
Mr Chiu Kam-kuen*
Mr Donald Choi Wun-hing*
Mr Ivan Fu Chin-shing
Dr Samantha Kong Wing-man*
Professor Lam Weng-cheong
Professor Sunnie Lau Sing-yeung*
Ms Christina Maisenne Lee*
Mr Lee Tsz-leung*
Mr Donald Man Ka-ho*
Ms Salome See Sau-mei
Mr Albert Su Yau-on
Mr Caspar Yam Ming-ho
Professor Frankie Yeung Wai-shing
Mr Edward Yuen Siu-bun
* New members read more
The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, today (January 28) reminded the public and visitors about information on arrangements for large-scale local celebrations, boundary control points (BCPs) and traffic and public transport during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland (January 28 to February 4):
Large-scale celebrations during Chinese New Year
There will be a rich array of celebratory activities across the territory during the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland. Major events include the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade on January 29 (Lunar New Year’s Day) and the Lunar New Year Fireworks Display on January 30 (the second day of Lunar New Year). The Hong Kong Police Force will ensure sufficient police manpower to implement corresponding crowd management measures and special traffic arrangements as necessary for all celebrations to be conducted in a safe and orderly manner. District offices will also closely monitor the flow of visitors within their respective districts and notify relevant departments having regard to the actual circumstances with a view to strengthening management of the relevant spots.
Co-ordinate control points, traffic and public transport facilities
During this Chinese New Year holiday, the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port will maintain a 24-hour operation as usual, and other BCPs will maintain the existing operating hours. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government appeals to visitors to plan their itineraries ahead, and stay overnight after participating in various local celebratory activities for the Chinese New Year to fully enjoy the rich and diverse celebratory activities to be held across various districts in the city and experience Hong Kong’s unique city charm.
Relevant departments have minimised leave for frontline officers to enable flexible deployment of manpower and operation of additional counters and channels, with a view to diverting passenger and vehicular flow. The Inter-departmental Joint Command Centre set up by the Police, the Immigration Department, the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), and other relevant departments has been activated from today to February 4 to monitor the real-time situation at various control points. The Joint Command Centre will maintain close liaison with the Mainland port authorities through the established port hotlines and real-time notification mechanism, and take timely contingency actions to flexibly deploy manpower at BCPs to ensure smooth operation of the land control points.
For transport arrangements, the Transport Department (TD) will enhance transportation services connecting various BCPs, including increasing the frequency of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge shuttle bus (Gold Bus) and the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus (Yellow Bus), and issuing additional cross-boundary coach quotas to enhance services; as well as formulating a contingency plan by establishing a dedicated passage at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port, Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port and Shenzhen Bay Port, when necessary, to ensure the smooth operation of public transport services. Regarding local public transport services, the TD has approached various public transport operators proactively to enhance their capacity, and reserve vehicles and manpower to meet the travel needs of visitors. Among them, the MTR Corporation Limited has enhanced train services of various railway lines from last Friday (January 24) to February 4 (the seventh day of Lunar New Year) for the convenience of residents and visitors. Today, Lunar New Year’s Eve, all local railway lines will operate overnight (except for the East Rail Line between Sheung Shui Station and Lo Wu Station or Lok Ma Chau Station, the Airport Express and the Disneyland Resort Line). Furthermore, in the early hours tomorrow, Lunar New Year’s Day (January 29), to January 31 (the third day of Lunar New Year), after the service hours of the East Rail Line trains to Lo Wu Station, special enhanced bus service (KMB Route No. N73) will be provided at the MTR Sheung Shui Station to carry passengers to interchange to the Yellow Bus for their journey to the Mainland via the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port, which operates round-the-clock. The TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will operate 24 hours to closely monitor the traffic conditions and public transport services of different districts including various BCPs and major stations. The TD will adopt timely measures to cope with the service demand, and will disseminate the latest traffic information through various channels.
Management of tour groups and protection of visitors
The Travel Industry Authority (TIA) has reminded travel agents receiving Mainland inbound tour groups to stagger arrival times as far as possible, and will co-ordinate with relevant agencies such as tourist spots to adopt appropriate diversion measures to enable proper management of visitor flows and tour buses, with a view to offering a pleasant travel experience to visitors. The TIA will also conduct inspections in districts where relatively more registered shops for inbound tour groups are located, and offer assistance to visitors and tourist guides to protect inbound tour group visitors’ rights. Additionally, the Police will continue to step up enforcement actions against illegal acts of taxi drivers including overcharging and refusing hires. The C&ED will also step up inspection of shops serving visitors to combat unfair trade practices.
Information dissemination
To assist visitors in planning their itineraries, the interdepartmental working group will strengthen information dissemination including the latest inbound visitor arrivals, the situation at various BCPs, information on celebratory events, transport arrangements etc, to enable residents and visitors to plan their itineraries according to the latest situation.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has also launched the ultimate guide to Chinese New Year in Hong Kong (www.discoverhongkong.com/hk-eng/what-s-new/events/chinese-new-year.html), a dedicated webpage on the HKTB’s website that serves as a one-stop platform for Chinese New Year celebrations. This webpage consolidates various useful information for the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland, including the operating arrangements of major tourist attractions in Hong Kong, details of various unique celebratory events, special discount and promotional activities around the Chinese New Year Golden Week to enable residents and visitors to plan their itineraries more conveniently. The HKTB has also stepped up promotions on the Mainland to promote large-scale events with Hong Kong characteristics and explore the unique cultural and tourism experiences in Hong Kong with a view to boosting spending of more Mainland visitors in Hong Kong and enhancing visitors’ experiences. read more
​The Government today (January 28) announced the appointment of three new non-official members and the reappointment of two incumbent non-official members to the Construction Industry Council (CIC) for a two-year term fr… read more