| 7.1 |
All the opened gazetted
beaches in Tsuen Wan had similar annual
ranks as in 2000. Tung Wan on Ma Wan
had "Fair" water quality
and the other four opened beaches
were ranked "Poor" in 2001
(Figure 7.1). For the three closed
beaches, Approach was ranked "Poor"
while Ting Kau and Anglers' were ranked
"Very Poor" in 2001.
 |
|
Figure 7.1 Annual
ranks of Tsuen Wan beaches in
2001 |
|
| 7.2 |
Since the year 2001
had been a very wet year with about
40% more rainfall than the norm in
the bathing season and all the Tsuen
Wan beaches were highly susceptible
to the rainfall effect, the water
quality of these beaches was poor
at most of the time in 2001. This
was reflected in their weekly grading
(Figure 7.2).
 |
|
Figure 7.2 Distribution
of the weekly grading at the beaches
of Tsuen Wan during the bathing
season |
|
| 7.3 |
Among the five districts in Hong
Kong where gazetted beaches are
located, only Tsuen Wan has beaches
that could not meet the WQO for
bathing water. The poor water quality
of the Tsuen Wan beaches is attributed
to polluted discharges from their
unsewered hinterland, the polluted
Sham Tseng Nullah and the relatively
high background pollution of the
waters around the Rambler Channel.
|
| 7.4 |
The area along Castle
Peak Road from Ting Kau to Tsing Lung
Tau is still unsewered. Except new
housing developments, which have their
own private sewage treatment plants,
most village houses along the Castle
Peak Road are served by septic tank
and soakaway pit systems. Also, the
sullage from village houses is discharged
into surface drains. During heavy
rain, overflow from septic tank and
soakaway pit systems as well as the
polluted runoff from the surface drains
in the beach hinterland would adversely
affect the beach water quality.
|
| 7.5 |
|
Local pollution
problem is particularly noticeable
at Ting Kau and Anglers' Beaches where
more village and squatter houses are
found in their hinterlands. The Ting
Kau Village has a population of about
1,000; and the Anglers', being the
closest beach to the Sham Tseng Nullah,
is affected by the discharges from
the villages in the Sham Tseng area
as well as from the Pai Min Kok Village.
|
| |
Sham
Tseng Nullah
|
|
| 7.6 |
As a result of the
heavy rainfall during the bathing
season, the water quality of both
beaches had deteriorated to the "Very
Poor" rank in 2001. In order
to control the pollution problems
associated with septic tanks and open
drains, EPD had conducted over 450
inspections of septic tanks in the
hinterland of Tsuen Wan beaches during
the bathing season in 2001, and urged
the local villagers to properly maintain
their septic tanks.
|
| 7.7 |
|
|
Reclaimed
site for Sham Tseng Sewage
Treatment Plant
|
 |
| Trunk
sewer under construction |
To permanently
remove the potential pollution sources
of the Tsuen Wan beaches, proper sewerage
will be provided along the Castle
Peak Road from Ting Kau to Tsing Lung
Tau (Figure 7.3). Sewage from the
village houses in the hinterland of
all beaches will be collected and
conveyed to a new sewage treatment
plant to be built on reclaimed land
in Sham Tseng. At the new Sham Tseng
Sewage Treatment Plant, sewage will
be treated by chemically enhanced
primary sedimentation and disinfection
prior to discharge to the sea via
a submarine outfall. The construction
of trunk sewerage at Sham Tseng has
commenced in mid 1999, while the building
of the sewage treatment plant and
submarine outfall will commence in
2002. The whole improvement work is
scheduled for completion in 2005.
|
| |
 |
|
Figure 7.3 Proposed
sewerage works for Tsing Lung
Tau, Sham Tseng and Ting Kau |
|
| |
|
|
7.8
|
The polluted Sham
Tseng Nullah affects the water quality
of the Tsuen Wan beaches, in particular
the Anglers' Beach. Sullage and raw
sewage from the squatter houses in
the Sham Tseng area are discharged
directly into the Nullah. Partially
treated sewage from the two communal
septic tanks and stone filters serving
the Sham Tseng Resite Village, is
also discharged into this Nullah.
|
| 7.9 |
To alleviate the
pollution problem of the Sham Tseng
Nullah before the provision of proper
sewerage to the Sham Tseng area, two
storage tanks had been built in 2000
for storing the wastewater from the
Refuse Collection Point, public toilet
and temporary market, and the wastewater
is collected by tanker for proper
disposal. An additional secondary
sewage treatment plant with disinfection
has also been built and commissioned
at the end of 2001 to improve the
quality of effluent from the two communal
septic tanks for the Sham Tseng Resite
Village. Through these improvement
measures, it is expected that the
beaches in the vicinity will be less
affected by the discharges from the
Nullah.
|
 |
|
Upper
stream of Sham Tseng Nullah
|
| |
 |
| |
|
Sewage
tanker |
|
7.10
|
The water quality of the Tsuen
Wan Beaches, particularly Approach,
Ting Kau, Lido and Casam Beaches,
is also affected by the polluted
marine water from the Rambler Channel,
which had E. coli levels
ranging from 103 to 104
per 100mL. The marine water quality
of the Channel had been improved
after the completion of the sewerage
work for the Tsuen Wan town area
where all the expedient connections
which previously discharged directly
into the Channel were intercepted
and diverted away for proper disposal.
The water quality of the Channel
has also been affected in the past
by the screened sewage from the
Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Preliminary
Treatment Works. However, with the
commissioning of the first stage
of the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme
(HATS) in November / December 2001
(Figure 7.4), this pollution source
has been removed and the Channel
water quality should improve.
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| |
|
|
| |
Lido
Beach
|
Deep
Tunnel of the Habour Area Treatment
Scheme
|
| |
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|