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Our
Contribution to the Environment
Response
to Environmental Incidents
We
will implement an emergency response system for handling environmental
incidents, and will be prepared to respond quickly to minimise
the damage to the environment
"
We have
worked closely with other government departments, including
the Fire Services and Marine Departments and the Government
Chemist to provide speedy response to environmental incidents.
We have comprehensive response plans to deal with 36 different
types of emergency situations on land and at sea, including
oil and chemical spills.
Our local
control offices provide dedicated support to all emergency
responses. In addition, our Chemical Waste Treatment Centre
contractor provides a chemical waste clean-up and disposal
service in case of incidents involving chemicals. In 1999,
we were involved in 33 cases of land-based chemical incidents
and 16 marine-based incidents. In each instance, the clean-up
work was completed satisfactorily.
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Two
most serious environmental incidents in 1999 were:
The overturning of an oil tanker in Tuen Mun Road on
6 May 1999 resulted in the contamination of large areas,
including Tuen Mun Road, nearby streams and beaches
and the sea. This led to the closure of Lido and Casam
Beaches for three days. The clean-up work at sea and
on land took three days to complete
The collision of a river barge carrying 70 tonnes of
the chemical sodium hypochlorite with another vessel
near Butterfly Beach on 11 May 1999 resulted in the
spillage of 20 tonnes of the chemical into the sea.
The beach had to be closed for half a day as a precautionary
measure. Under our direction, the remaining 50 tonnes
of the chemical was safely recovered from the damaged
barge by the owner of the chemical
Image
of Spill from an overturned oil tanker was cleaned up
by the emergency response team of the Chemical Waste
Treatment Centre
Image of Chemicals were recovered safely from a barge
after a collision incident
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In 1999,
we set up an Emergency Response Drill Team for enhancing staff
performance and readiness in emergency situations.
We will
continue to provide prompt and effective responses to all
environmental incidents. We shall concurrently review the
effectiveness of our emergency response plans, and conduct
drills, including at least a territory-wide one in the year.
In 2000, we plan to conduct a seminar to share our experiences
with local and overseas experts. We will also look for opportunities
to increase public awareness in preventing environmental damage
due to accidents and carelessness.
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