Victoria Harbour 'clean enough' without HK$30b sewage treatment upgrade

Hong Kong does not need a controversial HK$30 billion upgrade of its centralised wastewater treatment system as the water in the harbour is clean enough, at least for now, environment officials say.

They said the planned upgrade under the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS) would deliver only marginal improvements to water quality in western Victoria Harbour and bring little benefit to near-shore pollution.

They said the priority was to cut off improperly connected pipes and crack down on unlawful discharges into the harbour off Central and Wan Chai. A consultancy study is being planned.

In a document filed to the Advisory Council on the Environment, officials said the current chemical-based treatment system was enough to meet most water quality objectives and stressed the upgrade to biological treatment was not "critical" at this stage.

The decision surprised one government adviser on the environment, who fears the upgrade has been declared "dead" and seemingly replaced by localised schemes.

"The two [near shore pollution and the upgrade] are different things. Are you taking this opportunity to declare the scheme dead?" asked Dr Hung Wing-tat, a member of the council.

Officials denied dropping the upgrade. "It is being put under review, taking into account the latest water quality conditions and new technology for wastewater treatment," Amy Yuen Wai-yin, assistant director of environmental protection, told the council yesterday.