​The inter-departmental District Matters Co-ordination Task Force today (August 14) launched a three-month Government Programme on Tackling Hygiene Black Spots. The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, joined by the Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho; and the Permanent Secretary for Housing/Director of Housing, Miss Agnes Wong, visited Oi Man Estate to learn about the improved environmental hygiene conditions after inter-departmental operations. Accompanied by the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Ms Irene Young, Mr Tse also examined the clearance operation against refuse and waste piled up at rear lanes.
Mr Tse said, “Environmental hygiene is closely linked with people’s daily lives. Under the Government Programme on Tackling Hygiene Black Spots, various departments joined hands to strengthen cleansing work and tackle hygiene black spots across the territory in a concerted manner. To achieve sustained environmental improvements needs collaboration between the community and the Government. I hope that members of the public can support and tie in with our work.”
Ms Ho and Mr Tse, accompanied by Miss Wong, visited Oi Man Estate in Ho Man Tin this morning to learn about the inter-departmental efforts and achievements. They inspected common area of the estate and were briefed by Housing Department (HD) staff on continuous joint operations with the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and Link Asset Management Limited, which have improved the environmental hygiene condition within the estate and in its vicinity. On anti-rodent work, they also inspected a pilot project whereby the HD provides premises for the Kowloon City District Office to test out a new model of rodent trap. The FEHD also gave technical advice on pest control work in the estate.
Ms Ho said, “The HD fully supports the work direction set by the District Matters Co-ordination Task Force through strengthening regular cleansing work in public housing estates, focused efforts in tackling hygiene black spots, enhancing publicity, and stepping up law enforcement. Specific measures include increasing cleansing and disinfection work, stepping up inspection and conducting spot checks of contractor performance, hiring specialist companies to perform pest and rodent control work, and where appropriate installing CCTV surveillance systems in garbage collection depots to combat illegal dumping of refuse in public housing estates.”
Accompanied by Ms Young, Mr Tse then went to inspect the clean-up actions and measures taken by the FEHD for tackling the placement of objects and disposal of waste in the rear lane of Shui Che Kwun Street in Yuen Long District. The FEHD has stepped up the cleansing work in the rear lanes, including dealing with the objects and waste by the rear lane clearance teams, increasing the use of street washing vehicles and high pressure hot water cleaners to clean the rear lanes, stepping up pest control work, and so on. As for the cases involving individuals placing objects in the rear lanes, which will not only affect environmental hygiene but also become rodent hiding places, the FEHD will adopt an approach of “education followed by enforcement”, urging them to remove the items. If the warning is unheeded, the department will follow up the case in accordance with the law.
Ms Young said that the FEHD has also been applying new technologies to clean streets by mechanised and automated methods, such as the introduction of pressure washer surface cleaner, leaf blowers and mini-mechanical sweepers, to enhance the outcome of street cleaning.
From August to October, various departments will boost cleansing efforts at about 600 hygiene and street management black spots in the city. In addition to strengthening daily cleansing works, they will also enhance educational promotion and community participation to improve Hong Kong’s environmental hygiene and cityscape as well as to ensure the sustainability of the enhancements.
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