Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ11: Anti-mosquito work
Following is a question by the Hon Leung Kwok-hung and a written reply by the
Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today
(June 10)
Question:
Quite a number of residents in Ma On Shan (including Wu Kai Sha) have complained
to me about the serious mosquito problem in the district. Besides, in recent
years, a large number of Mainland tourists have stayed in the Wu Kwai Sha Youth
Village, and there have been very serious garbage problems in the nearby area
from To Tau beach to Wu Kai Sha beach. Some members of the public have
repeatedly lodged complaints through the 1823 Call Centre or with the Food and
Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), but FEHD has not deployed staff to
follow up the cases. Some residents have created a group called "Friends of Ma
On Shan" on Facebook and invited dozens of residents to clear the litter on
those beaches on holidays. In this connection, will the Government inform this
Council:
(1) whether the Government carried out, in the past six months, anti-mosquito
operations in the following areas in the Ma On Shan district:
(i) the public area from Kam Tai Court to Oceanaire;
(ii) the public area along Chevalier Garden and the hillside nearby;
(iii) the public area along Kam Ying Court and the hillside nearby;
(iv) the public area from Ma On Shan Tsuen to Ma On Shan Country Park and the
hillside nearby;
(v) the public area from the Youth Village to To Tau Village and the seashore
nearby; and
(vi) the public area from Lee On Estate to To Tau Village and the hillside and
seashore nearby;
if it did, of the respective numbers of such operations and whether it has
reviewed the effectiveness of the operations; if it did not, when it will do so;
(2) whether it will carry out more anti-mosquito operations in Ma On Shan in the
coming three months; if it will, of the number of operations to be carried out
each week; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) whether, in the past five years, it issued warnings and fixed penalty
notices to members of the public or tourists for littering in the area from To
Tau Village beach to Wu Kai Sha beach; if it did, of the respective numbers; if
not, the reasons for that;
(4) whether, in the past five years, it deployed staff to inspect the
environmental hygiene conditions in the area from To Tau Village beach to Wu Kai
Sha beach; if it did, of the number of inspections conducted each week and the
average duration of inspection each time; if not, the reasons for that and
whether it will immediately deploy staff to inspect the environmental hygiene
conditions of the area each day, institute prosecution against offenders, and
deploy staff to clear the litter; if it will, when it will do so; if not, the
reasons for that; and
(5) given that the local residents have to clear the litter in the area from To
Tau Village beach to Wu Kai Sha beach themselves during holidays because of the
poor environmental hygiene conditions there, whether the Government will
apologise to them; if it will, when it will apologise; if not, of the reasons
for that and how it manifests the Government's public accountability?
Reply:
President,
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has been coordinating
inter-departmental anti-mosquito initiatives, maintaining close liaison with the
relevant government departments and providing them with technical support to
facilitate effective implementation of anti-mosquito measures within their
respective purviews. FEHD is also responsible for cleaning some beaches and
coastal areas. It participates in the joint operations coordinated by the
relevant government departments (such as the Marine Department, Environmental
Protection Department (EPD), Leisure and Cultural Services Department, and
Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department) to monitor the conditions at
beaches and coastal areas and clean up the litter washed ashore.
My reply to the various parts of the question is as follows:
(1) FEHD attaches great importance to the problem of mosquito infestation in Ma
On Shan. The Area Ovitrap Index of Ma On Shan reached 41.4 per cent in July
2014, the second highest in the year.
In view of this, FEHD has stepped up its anti-mosquito efforts in Ma On Shan
(including the public areas mentioned in the question). These include a series
of field investigation between March and May 2015; over 30 operations against
mosquito infestation in the past six months which involve inspections, removing
stagnant water and roadside weeds, and applying larvicides to manholes, gullies
and nullahs; and space spraying of pesticide against adult mosquitoes at heavily
wooded hillsides where necessary. Inspections are also conducted in the public
areas outside private residence/land in Ma On Shan at least once a week. These
efforts have been sustained throughout the winter of 2014.
For the purpose of putting the effectiveness of the anti-mosquito work under
close monitoring as well as strengthening inter-departmental co-operation, FEHD
convened meetings with the Sha Tin task force on anti-mosquito work in February,
March and May this year. Through the meetings, FEHD took stock of the conditions
at Tai Wai, Yuen Chau Kok and Ma On Shan and reviewed the effectiveness of the
mosquito control work being conducted by the respective departments in places
under their purview. Through the task force, FEHD called upon the respective
departments as well as the management of schools to step up and fortify our
anti-mosquito work.
In gearing up for the upcoming rainy season, the relevant government departments
have carried out, since early May, two rounds of intensive mosquito preventive
and control exercises across the territory (including Ma On Shan) covering areas
under their purview. Through the joint operations, the departments took actions
to kill adult mosquitoes and remove stagnant water and weeds in the interest of
eliminating potential mosquito breeding grounds. By virtue of these intensive
anti-mosquito exercises, we hope that mosquitoes of a whole generation,
including those infected with the dengue fever virus, would be eliminated.
(2) Effective mosquito control requires sustained efforts on the part of all
parties concerned. In this regard, FEHD launched a new round of anti-mosquito
campaign in early 2015 in collaboration with other relevant government
departments. To keep up the momentum, the campaign is to be conducted in phases
with the slogan of "Prevent Japanese Encephalitis and Dengue Fever, Act Now!".
Phase 2 of the campaign commenced on April 27, 2015 and will end on July 3,
2015, while Phase 3 is to be conducted from August 17 to October 9, 2015.
FEHD's pest control officers will step up inspection, preventive and control
actions as well as publicity work during the campaign. Breeding places of
mosquitoes will be eliminated or treated with larvicides. Potential breeding
grounds and trouble spots identified by district pest control officers
(including those places near the hillside and seaside as mentioned in the
question) will also be covered.
Acting on the first local case of dengue fever which came to light in early June
this year, FEHD has strengthened the mosquito preventive and control work in
areas within 500 metres from the residence of the patient in Tai Wai, Sha Tin,
his workplace and places he visited during the incubation period. FEHD has also
collected samples of Aedes albopictus from the relevant areas for laboratory
testing to ascertain whether they carry any virus, with a view to eliminating
the risk of dengue fever infection at source.
Where breeding of mosquito larvae is found, FEHD will initiate prosecution
against the relevant parties or organisations, including the contractor of
building maintenance site in the relevant housing estate and the estate
management company.
(3) to (5) To Tau Village beach and Wu Kai Sha beach are ungazetted beaches.
FEHD officers and the department’s cleansing contractors are responsible for
cleansing work at these beaches and the coastal areas nearby. Depending on the
prevailing circumstances, the frequency of our cleansing operation ranges from
once to five times per week.
At present, FEHD conducts inspections to the area from To Tau Village beach to
Wu Kai Sha beach once every two weeks. Since 2010, the department has received
five complaints regarding the environmental hygiene conditions of the area and
issued two fixed penalty notices against offences of depositing waste in public
places. FEHD will continue to inspect the aforesaid coastal area and take
actions to properly clean up the litter in the area. Where the situation so
warrants, FEHD will enhance inspections and prosecutions against offenders as
well as arrange additional cleansing operations.
In our view, a more effective way to keep the shorelines clean lies in putting
emphasis on education and publicity to help members of the public understand the
importance of environmental protection and ensuring compliance with the relevant
legislation, thereby keeping Hong Kong clean through the concerted efforts of
everybody. To put the messages across, the Working Group on Clean Shorelines
organises Shorelines Cleanup Days at various locations, and invites different
organisations to be the co-organisers on each occasion. Since 2014, a total of
11 organisations have participated in cleaning up the above beaches and the
coastal areas nearby during weekends, demonstrating their support for protecting
the marine environment through collective actions. Sheung Shui Government
Secondary School will join hands with EPD to conduct beach cleaning activities
in Wu Kai Sha on July 26, 2015.
Ends/Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:49
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