Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: Here is an item of interest to swimmers. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (September 1) that due to in… read more
Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: Here is an item of interest to swimmers. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (September 1) that due to bi… read more
Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (September 1). They are, on Hong Kong Island, The Hong Kong Chinese Women’s Club; in Kowloon, Asia Women’s League Limited; and in the New Territories, Hong Kong Society of Herpetology Foundation Limited, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.
Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people distinguish between the three flag-selling activities.
Information on the three flag-selling organisations on September 1 is as follows:
| Region | Name of Organisation | Colour of Collection Bag | Colour of Flag |
| Hong Kong Island | The Hong Kong Chinese Women’s Club | Red | Light Purple |
| Kowloon | Asia Women’s League Limited | Yellow | White |
| New Territories | Hong Kong Society of Herpetology Foundation Limited | Green | Yellow |
The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, met with the Federal Chancellor of Austria, Mr Sebastian Kurz, at Government House this afternoon (August 31).
Mrs Lam welcomed Mr Kurz and his delegation to Hong Kong, which includes three ministers, namely the Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology, Mr Norbert Hofer; the Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs, Mrs Margarete Schramböck; and the Federal Minister for Education, Science and Research, Mr Heinz Fassmann, who Mrs Lam met during her visit to Europe some months ago. Mrs Lam said that she visited Vienna in the capacity of Chief Secretary for Administration in 2014, during which she invited a high-level delegation of the Austrian Federal Government to visit Hong Kong. She added that for this reason she was particularly pleased with the meeting today.
Mrs Lam said she was deeply impressed by Vienna’s development as a smart city as well as its facilities and atmosphere relating to arts and culture. She noted that subsequently Hong Kong and Austria have signed memorandums of understanding on relevant aspects, and believed that this visit will further promote co-operation and exchanges between the two places.
Mrs Lam introduced Mr Kurz to Hong Kong’s latest developments, including the successful implementation of “One Country, Two Systems”, “Hong Kong people administering Hong Kong”, and exercising a high degree of autonomy. After taking office last year, she has been committed to implementing a new style of proactive governance and, in particular, advancing the development of innovation and technology (I&T) in Hong Kong. She said that Hong Kong and Austria had established a very solid foundation working together in this area with the signing of a memorandum of understanding on co-operation in technology start-up ecosystems in 2016, and that collaboration and experience-sharing between technology start-ups in the two places have since advanced successfully. With the active participation of Hong Kong in the development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the establishment of an I&T hub within it, she invited Austria’s higher education institutions and scientific research centres to set up a presence in Hong Kong for joint development.
Mrs Lam added that the development of arts and culture is one of her priority policy initiatives. She said the world-renowned Vienna Boys Choir set up its first overseas music academy in Hong Kong in 2011. Also, the soon-to-be completed M+ Museum and the Hong Kong Palace Museum in the West Kowloon Cultural District, together with the renovated Hong Kong Museum of Art, will bring the development of arts and culture in Hong Kong to new heights. She also expressed the hope that room for collaboration could be explored with the acclaimed MuseumsQuartier Wien.
In response to media enquiries on the suspected leakage of leachate from the West New Territories (WENT) Landfill, the spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (August 31) replied as follows:
Water management at the WENT Landfill involves two independent collection and treatment systems, namely the rainwater and ground water management system and the leachate management system. This incident was caused by the contractor’s improper handling of the valve for a rainwater collection facility, thus causing leakage of rainwater contaminated with pollutants into an adjacent river.
The spokesman explained that pollutants easily accumulate on the ground of the landfill, and may be washed away by the first flush of rainstorm after a period of dry days (not only the first rainstorm after the dry season). Such rainwater will be relatively turbid. To reduce such kind of pollution, rainwater management facilities are installed at particular spots surrounding the landfill to collect and intercept polluted rainwater. The rainwater retention pond mentioned in media reports is actually part of the landfill’s rainwater management system. When the rainwater retained by the retention pond rises to a certain level, the water pump installed inside the pond will be activated. The rainwater with pollutants is then pumped into the leachate management system, where it will be treated together with the leachate and finally discharged into the sewers of the Drainage Services Department.
The water pump will not operate until the water level of the retention pond has reached the triggering position. Therefore, polluted rainwater will accumulate in the retention pond and some pollutants will be left at the bottom of the pond. The contractor thus needs to clean the residual polluted rainwater, silt and waste in the retention pond regularly. To facilitate the cleaning of the rainwater retention pond, a valve is installed at its bottom to enable the collection and delivery of the residual polluted rainwater to the leachate management system for proper treatment, to be followed by the cleaning of the sludge and waste left at the retention pond.
The EPD received complaints from members of the public in August this year that Tai Shui Hang River was being polluted and it was suspected that there was an illegal discharge into the river. After investigation by the Environmental Compliance Division of the EPD on August 7, it was found that wastewater was leaking from the landfill. The EPD subsequently collected evidence and will instigate prosecution against the contractor concerned if there is sufficient evidence. The Department also gave the contractor a stern warning and ordered the contractor to conduct an investigation on the incident immediately so as to rectify the problem. The contractor rectified the problem on the same day and deactivated the valve of the rainwater retention pond. Thorough inspections of similar facilities have also been conducted to ensure the incident will not happen again.
It has been reported that leakage of leachate still continues after the rectification. In fact, the suspected leachate is actually polluted rainwater which is now deposited at the bottom of the retention pond. Consequently, the polluted water in the retention pond shows a darker colour, which is normal, and it will continue to be pumped away. Since the pollutants on the ground have been washed away and accumulated at the bottom of the retention pond during the first flush of rainstorm, the rainwater that entered the retention pond at a later stage is relatively clean and will pass through the top of the retention pond and flow away crossing the top of the outer wall. As the valve of the rainwater collection facility has been deactivated, the wastewater at the bottom will not leak or be directly discharged through the valve. It can only be pumped away.
The spokesman stressed that this is an individual incident and such irregularity caused by the malfunction of the valve was detected for the first time since the WENT Landfill began operation more than 20 years ago. Despite the incident, the surrounding environment and water bodies have not been significantly affected and there are no signs of algae or fish kills.
The EPD has all along been closely monitoring the performance of the contractor. If it fails to meet contractual requirements, the EPD will demand it to conduct a thorough investigation into the cause and formulate measures to prevent such incidents from happening again. The investigation findings and proposed measures will be reviewed by the EPD and an independent consultant. The EPD will, together with the independent consultant, continue to urge the contractor to follow up on the incident and further enhance the environmental monitoring work at WENT.
If it is confirmed that the contractor breached the contract requirements by failing to treat wastewater properly or discharging it illegally, the Environmental Infrastructure Division of the EPD will follow up the case according to the contract provisions. All relevant information will be reflected in the contractor’s assessment report and will directly affect the contractor’s bid for a new government contract and its chances of being appointed in the future. In addition, law enforcement officers of the EPD have been closely monitoring the discharge of wastewater from landfills. Investigation will be launched if suspected violations are found. If any contractor is confirmed to have breached the Water Pollution Control Ordinance, prosecution in accordance with the law will be instigated. read more