An image of the what the activists claim is illegal dumping in the protected area. Photo: Courtesy Land Justice League
Environmentalists say alleged illegal dumping at a protected area in northwestern New Territories has caused ecological damage that could take up to a decade to fix.
The Land Justice League said construction waste has been illegally dumped in Tsim Bei Tsui, a government-designated site of special scientific interest, and fish ponds and part of a mangrove forest there have been cleared.
The group’s executive committee member Johnny Lau said villagers tipped them off about the illegal dumping after spotting large trucks entering their usually sleepy corner of the city.
He said an area of about 1.8 hectares inside the supposedly protected site of special scientific interest had been damaged by the illegal dumping, and this has been going on for about a year. Fish ponds and wetlands, as well as part of a mangrove forest has been cleared as a result.
Lau said it is difficult to say who should be keeping an eye on the site. By his count, at least four different government departments could be responsible for it.
The group said it is too tempting for construction firms to illegally dump their waste, and believes a change of mindset is needed to preserve the New Territories' countryside.
Lau said they are encouraging villagers to report suspected illegal dumping and want the government to install GPS trackers on trucks to make sure they do not enter protected zones.
An assistant director of conservation at WWF-Hong Kong, Michael Lau, said the ponds and mangroves at the site host thousands of migratory birds who winter here. He said it may take up to a decade for the site to return to its former state.
http://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1232688-20151230.htm
