Marine Refuse on beaches in Southwest Lantau is severe
Pollution is severe in Southwest Fan Lau and Kau Ling Chung Beach in Lantau
Government measures should be announced to prevent the reflux of refuse
Recently large amount of garbage from mainland was driven to Hong Kong and was brought to the beaches. After the report from media, residents have paid more attention to the problem of marine refuse.
Member from Green Sense did an inspection in the Southwest Fan Lau and Kau Ling Chung Beach on 10 July. These two places and the mangrove in Shui Hau are located on the south coast of Lantau Island, which suffers from the problem of marine refuse. In the report ”Investigation on the Sources and Fates of Marine Refuse in Hong Kong” published in April 2015 by Environmental Protection Department, Fan Lau and the mangrove in Shui Hau are both classified as priority areas. Green Sense believes that the problem in Shui Hau would be followed up after the visit and cleaning by the government officials. However, Fan Lau and Kau Ling Chung Beach are remote areas and can only be reached by rough paths, which make the cleaning a bigger challenge. The Government should not ignore the problem of marine refuse in the areas. Green Sense would also report the situation to Government departments.
“The government should announce the measures, and provide more resources on cleaning marine refuse, in order to prevent the reflux of garbage back into the ocean. The government should also negotiate with the Chinese government on the proper waste management, in preventing the impact to the marine ecology and the environment. ”said Roy Tam, Chief Executive (Voluntary) of Green Sense. Tam thinks that manpower and marine refuse would need to be transported through waterway at places like Fan Lau and Kau Ling Chung, therefore more attention is needed to the arrangement of the cleaning by the government.
Marine refuse is one of the problems that no one should ignore, we should be responsible to protect the environment. Green Sense appeals to you all for reducing consumption and wastage, in order to provide a livable environment for our next generation.
Click here for more photos on the day of inspection
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