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EPD
swoops on unscrupulous livestock farmers
The Environmental
Protection Department is sparing no effort in swooping on
the remnant unscrupulous farmers who discharged waste water
into our water courses, despite the considerable success achieved
under the Livestock Waste Control Scheme.
As part of their intensive enforcement programme, EPD officers
from the department's Local Control Division caught 38 livestock
farmers for a total of 43 offences. They were alleged to have
discharged waste water illegally from their farms in Yuen
Long and North District last week.
Some of
these unlawful discharges were spotted in the middle of the
night during vigilant surveillance and round-the-clock ambushes
laid by anti-pollution fighters.
Those
who were caught will be charged under the Waste Disposal (Livestock
Waste) Regulations, which carry a maximum fine of $50,000.
The Livestock
Waste Control Scheme was first promulgated in 1987 to control
livestock waste pollution caused by keeping of pigs, chickens,
ducks, geese, pigeons or quails.
It has
been implemented in phases to allow time for the farms to
achieve compliance with the discharge standard, the last phase
will be implemented by July 1, 1999.
By then,
the final discharge standard of 50:50 (50mg of Biochemical
Oxygen Demand and 50mg of suspended solid in one litre of
water) will be applied.
The Assistant
Director of Environmental Protection (Local Control), Dr Mike
Chiu, said the Livestock Waste Control Scheme and other pollution
control measures had eliminated the gross pollution in the
water courses in the New Territories.
"The
Scheme alone has achieved a reduction of pollution loading
equivalent to the domestic sewage generated by 1.6 million
people, i.e. about five times the population of Yuen Long.
EPD has
made a lot of progress through the prohibition areas and initially
through the control scheme, but now it is facing a huge task
in enforcing the legislation against the more unscrupulous
farmers who resort to tactics such as dumping their livestock
waste untreated into streams and rivers in the middle of the
night, Dr Chiu said.
"As
a result of the enforcement effort under the Scheme, a great
majority of the farms have been equipped with waste water
treatment facilities which, if operated properly, should produce
an effluent that can comply with the required effluent quality
standard.
"Unfortunately,
some farmers choose to shut down their waste water treatment
facilities for the sake of saving a small amount of electricity
charges and discharge their untreated or partially treated
waste waters directly into the water courses during late night
or early morning hours.
Despite
these great difficulties, Dr Chiu said the department had
achieved considerable successes in its enforcement actions.
"EPD
has been using special equipment, seeking the assistance of
local residents and undertaking ambushes during odd hours
resulting in 98 convicted cases in 1998. The average fine
was $5,800 per case.
Dr Chiu
said the illegal discharges had not only prevented further
improvements to be achieved for the water quality of the water
course, but also had caused odour and visual nuisances as
well as health risks to the local residents.
"This
intensive enforcement programme was launched to show our determination
to put right the irresponsible acts of those cowboy farmers,"
he said.
End/Wednesday,
June 16, 1999
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