Officials investigate as residents shocked by orange-brown 'muck' seeping into waterway
ERNEST KAOernest.kao@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Friday, 07 August, 2015, 12:05am
UPDATED : Friday, 07 August, 2015, 12:05am
Sludge floating in the Shing Mun River.Photo: SCMP Pictures
Drainage officials are investigating suspected illegal waste water discharge along the banks of Sha Tin's Shing Mun River - once notorious for its foul odour.
A thick, orange-brown sludge was seen seeping out of a storm drainage outlet outside the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and floating several metres downriver on Wednesday afternoon, shocking local residents.
"There are dead fish on a weekly basis and seeing small pockets of oil slicks in the water is nothing new to us, but I have never seen anything like this," said Lara Terzian, who lives at The Riverpark estate just across from the museum. "My children saw it first and we were horrified."
Terzian described the substance as a "slow-moving muck", which drifted slowly out towards Tolo Harbour. The sludge had disappeared by evening. "What's concerning is that people regularly fish from the nearby bridge," she said.
The Drainage Services Department said it had sent staff to inspect the site and suspected it could involve illegal discharge of effluent. "We have contacted the Environmental Protection Department and are now investigating," a spokesman said.
A rapid rise in Sha Tin's population and waste from industrial, commercial, livestock and domestic sources heavily polluted the river in the 1980s. Water quality has improved significantly since then. The river is a key drainage channel for floodwater.
Sha Tin district councillor Gary Yeung Man-yui said government departments had recently become "less proactive" in tackling pollution in the river. While rowing and fishing were now commonplace, Yeung said he still believed the river was "not suitable for such activities".
Wong Chi-yung, of the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong's Sha Tin branch, said the discharge was likely to be oil or paint. He urged the government to monitor the water quality each month.
Discharging polluting water or matter into waterways can carry a six-month prison sentence and minimum fine of HK$200,000 under the Water Pollution Control Ordinance.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/1847200/thick-sludge-floating-down-hong-kong-river-sparks
