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Hong Kong's darkening tides
Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 19, No. 10, pp. 497-498, 1988. Printed in Great Britain.
Hong Kong's darkeningtides I recently drew attention to Hong Kong's first marine environmental disaster (Mar. Pollut. Bull. 19, 299300): Tolo Harbour in the north-eastern quadrant of Hong Kong's New Territories, a beleaguered estuary now in 1988 effectively dead. Attention locally, however, is now shifting towards the opposite side of Hong Kong's New Territories into the north-western quadrant and Deep Bay which, despite its name, is shallow, about 3 m in average depth and of about 115 kin 2. With a maximum tidal range of 2.8 m, large areas of intertidal mud are exposed at low tide and these have been extensively used for the bottom laying of oysters. It has been known for many years that the oysters, Crassostrea gigas, in the absence of depuration facilities, are unfit for human consumption but research in the bay has been limited by the dangerous muds and the sensitive nature of the border that the bay forms between Hong Kong and China. Deep Bay is swum across by illegal immigrants attempting to enter Hong Kong. In 1985, however, WWF Hong Kong began the development of the Mai Po Nature Reserve along the southern border of the inner bay and the Chinese authorities subsequently declared a similar reserve at Futien opposite. The main reason for the Reserve is the large flocks of waders and other birds that stop off in the inner bay during the spring and autumn migrations. Thus, Dalmation pelicans, Saunder's gulls, Spoon-billed sandpipers, Asiatic dowitcher, and Spotted greenshank are regular visitors and are all classified as threatened or endangered. What these and an estimated 36 000 other marine birds on any one day during the height of the spring migration are feeding on is the fauna of the rich muds and waters of the bay. The continued survival of these birds is thus linked to this small place since it constitutes one of the few sanctuary areas left on the southern coast of China enabling them to rest and refuel before passage across the South China Sea. Research at the reserve, however, has now shown that the waters, particularly of inner Deep Bay are polluted such that, throughout the year near zero oxygen levels characterize the waters incursing into some areas of the reserve on each tide. With much capital, time, and thought invested in Hong Kong's only wetland Reserve, WWF Hong Kong is not surprizingly concerned at deteriorating water quality standards, most of which result from gross pollution of the streams and rivers draining into Deep Bay. The Tin Shui Wai Stream, for example, has given a maximum figure for BOD 5 of 650 and TKN and TP figures of 130 and 39 mg l-~ respectively. Hitherto pollution has largely been by agricultural wastes, notably from pigs, hosed into the many streams and rivers draining into the bay and constitute some 75% of the total estimated BOD 5 loading of 62 470 kg day -~ entering the bay from Hong Kong alone. Of late,
0035-326X/88 $3.00+0.00 O 1988 Pergamon Press plc
however, local scientists have also become aware that the north western New Territories has been identified as a major area for future residential and industrial development in Hong Kong's side of Deep Bay's border, but is also apparent on the Chinese side, where the new city of Shenzhen in this Special Economic Zone has grown from a small rural village community but a few short years ago to a population estimated at 500 000 in 1987. And it is still growing. Alarm warnings from marine scientists and WWF Hong Kong were raised in 1987 over the Chinese Government's intention to develop an international airport on reclaimed land in the bay. Concern was not only with the effects of such a massive reclamation (occupying some 20% of the bay area), but also with the effects of the airport upon the Mai Po and Futien Reserves, just 7 km away from the end of the proposed runway. The point was also made that the 36 000 birds resident in the bay at any one time in spring could pose a serious bird-strike hazard. Happily, the Chinese Authorities seem to have accepted these compelling arguments and, unofficially at least, such a plan appears to have been dropped. The argument, however, brought into clearer focus other plans for the Deep Bay coastline. These include, on the Hong Kong side, a planned new city for 130 000 people at Tin Shui Wai, expansion of the Fairview Park housing estate abutting the Mai Po reserve, Yuen Long New Town and industrial estate development, Tsang Tsui PFA lagoons, the Western New Territories Landfill site at Nim Wan, a Deep Bay coastal road and numerous other drainage and flood protection schemes, including a major Northwest New Territories trunk sewer. On the Chinese side, known projects include the Shekou Port industrial development, the Guangzhou expressway, Shenzhen City Industrial development and the training of the Shenzhen River at the head of the Bay, separating the two reserves. It is the latter which is of greatest concern because dredging to straighten, widen, and deepen the river for larger vessels must have a powerful impact upon the two reserves which literally constitute its banks. Alarm bells have been rung in Government offices in Hong Kong and an important review of all the Deep Bay proposals has been initiated to identify key problem areas and management issues with the purpose of preventing a duplication of Tolo Harbour. The review has confirmed our worst fears that Inner Deep Bay, itself designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, is already grossly polluted and that the new developments, residential and industrial, will increase the population of the bay's catchment from 800 000 to 1.5 million by 2001. With the progressive demise of polluting lowland agriculture and its replacement by an urbanized community, hopefully sewered and effluent treated, however, it seems possible that water quality might just improve, but that physical disturbance will become a key issue to address. I am, however, perhaps being too optimistic, for in reality and bearing in mind the tragedy of Tolo Harbour, acted out to its inevitable conclusion during the years 1975-1988 and where what were thought to be adequate pollution control measures were also developed, the writing for Deep 497
Marine PollutionBulletin Bay is on the wall. Red tides now permanently cover inner Tolo Harbour, darkening and dying to be replaced by another. For Deep Bay also, the visible signs are that
it too is to meet its fate as Hong Kong's darkening tides of pollution gather. BRIAN MORTON
marine environment were adopted. The first stipulates that prior to the construction of any new nuclear reprocessing plant, or before increasing the capacity of existing installations, an EIA should be carried out to ascertain that any such facilities will not cause radioactive pollution of the Paris Convention area (the NE Atlantic region). Under the second Recommendation, At the 1988 meetings of the Oslo and Paris Commismember countries agreed to apply the best available sions held in Lisbon in June of this year, both Commistechnology to minimize, and where appropriate, sions took a number of important decisions affecting eliminate radioactive discharges from the nuclear the marine environment. industry which cause pollution of the marine environThe Oslo Convention, signed in 1972 and entered ment. into force in 1974, regulates the dumping and incineraOther important discussions were centred on the tion of wastes in the North-East Atlantic region. This algal blooms experienced by the Scandinavian counyear a large part of the Commission's discussion centred tries earlier this year (see Mar. Pollut. Bull. 19, 348) around its future policy on incineration at sea. A dec'.'and participating members agreed to take effective sion was made to terminate incineration at sea by consteps in order to reduce nutrient input levels to those tracting parties and within the Oslo Convention area by sea areas most at risk. The Commission aims to sub31 December 1994. As an interim measure the Comstantially reduce (by the order of 50%) phosphorus and mission decided that the North Sea States should take nitrogen inputs to these areas by 1995 or earlier where steps to minimize or substantially reduce (by not less possible. With this aim in mind an expert working group than 65%) the use of marine incineration by 1 January will assess the action plans prepared by member coun1991. At present the North Sea is the only sea in the tries and establish a coordinated programme for the world where toxic incineration continues to take place. reduction of nutrient inputs stemming from municipal The Commission also agreed that export of wastes treatment plants, agriculture, fish-farming, industry, intended for incineration in marine waters outside the combustion plants, and vehicles. Convention area should be halted, as should other Both Commissions accepted the invitation extended environmentally-unacceptable methods of waste disby the Second North Sea Conference to establish a Task posal. The importance of loading wastes for incineraForce with the object of further developing harmonized tion in a harbour of their country of origin, and under methods for monitoring, modelling, and assessment of the full control of that country, was emphasized. environmental conditions in the North Sea at national Although environmental concerns over ocean incineraand international level. The North Sea Task Force will tion have been paramount in recent months, the Oslo be a joint working group formed by the Oslo and Paris Commission decision has been based on the new techCommissions together with ICES. nologies being developed to reduce waste production and the availability of land-based alternatives rather than on evidence of observed harmful effects. The Commission gave its full support to the agreement on the cessation and reduction of dumping of The need for international legislation to govern the pollutants reached at the Second North Sea Ministers' transport and export of toxic wastes by sea, as per the Conference held in 1987 (see Mar` Pollut. Bull. 19, 2). Recommendation newly adopted by the Oslo CommisIt was decided to establish an an hoc working group sion (see above), has been highlighted by two recently with the purpose of developing the necessary defini- reported incidents. tions and criteria required to ensure efficient impleIn the first, the 1392 tons gross West German cargomentation of the Ministerial Declaration. ship Petersberg has been effectively trapped in the Black The Commission also adopted a Recommendation Sea for over a month with her cargo of radioactive concerning the export of wastes for disposal at sea. The waste. The vessel's original destination was to have been Recommendation imposes tighter constraints on the a waste disposal site in Turkey. According to her chartransffontier movement of wastes which are destined terer the ship has only "slightly contaminated building for disposal at sea, and requires that Contracting Parties rubble" on board. However Romania has claimed that shall not export wastes for incineration or dumping at the Petersberg is loaded with high radiation petrochemsea outside the Convention area, nor allow their dis- ical material and every port in the Black Sea has since posal in other ways harmful to the environment. been closed to her. Turkey has refused to allow the ship The Paris Commission held their annual meeting passage through the Dardanelles and Romania originconsecutively with the Oslo Commission and two new ally also refused the vessel permission to re-enter the Recommendations relating to radioactivity in the River Danube to return to her port of origin, Vienna.
Oslo and Paris Commissions Meet
Toxic Cargoes--Nowhere to Go ?
498
Hong Kong's darkeningtides I recently drew attention to Hong Kong's first marine environmental disaster (Mar. Pollut. Bull. 19, 299300): Tolo Harbour in the north-eastern quadrant of Hong Kong's New Territories, a beleaguered estuary now in 1988 effectively dead. Attention locally, however, is now shifting towards the opposite side of Hong Kong's New Territories into the north-western quadrant and Deep Bay which, despite its name, is shallow, about 3 m in average depth and of about 115 kin 2. With a maximum tidal range of 2.8 m, large areas of intertidal mud are exposed at low tide and these have been extensively used for the bottom laying of oysters. It has been known for many years that the oysters, Crassostrea gigas, in the absence of depuration facilities, are unfit for human consumption but research in the bay has been limited by the dangerous muds and the sensitive nature of the border that the bay forms between Hong Kong and China. Deep Bay is swum across by illegal immigrants attempting to enter Hong Kong. In 1985, however, WWF Hong Kong began the development of the Mai Po Nature Reserve along the southern border of the inner bay and the Chinese authorities subsequently declared a similar reserve at Futien opposite. The main reason for the Reserve is the large flocks of waders and other birds that stop off in the inner bay during the spring and autumn migrations. Thus, Dalmation pelicans, Saunder's gulls, Spoon-billed sandpipers, Asiatic dowitcher, and Spotted greenshank are regular visitors and are all classified as threatened or endangered. What these and an estimated 36 000 other marine birds on any one day during the height of the spring migration are feeding on is the fauna of the rich muds and waters of the bay. The continued survival of these birds is thus linked to this small place since it constitutes one of the few sanctuary areas left on the southern coast of China enabling them to rest and refuel before passage across the South China Sea. Research at the reserve, however, has now shown that the waters, particularly of inner Deep Bay are polluted such that, throughout the year near zero oxygen levels characterize the waters incursing into some areas of the reserve on each tide. With much capital, time, and thought invested in Hong Kong's only wetland Reserve, WWF Hong Kong is not surprizingly concerned at deteriorating water quality standards, most of which result from gross pollution of the streams and rivers draining into Deep Bay. The Tin Shui Wai Stream, for example, has given a maximum figure for BOD 5 of 650 and TKN and TP figures of 130 and 39 mg l-~ respectively. Hitherto pollution has largely been by agricultural wastes, notably from pigs, hosed into the many streams and rivers draining into the bay and constitute some 75% of the total estimated BOD 5 loading of 62 470 kg day -~ entering the bay from Hong Kong alone. Of late,
0035-326X/88 $3.00+0.00 O 1988 Pergamon Press plc
however, local scientists have also become aware that the north western New Territories has been identified as a major area for future residential and industrial development in Hong Kong's side of Deep Bay's border, but is also apparent on the Chinese side, where the new city of Shenzhen in this Special Economic Zone has grown from a small rural village community but a few short years ago to a population estimated at 500 000 in 1987. And it is still growing. Alarm warnings from marine scientists and WWF Hong Kong were raised in 1987 over the Chinese Government's intention to develop an international airport on reclaimed land in the bay. Concern was not only with the effects of such a massive reclamation (occupying some 20% of the bay area), but also with the effects of the airport upon the Mai Po and Futien Reserves, just 7 km away from the end of the proposed runway. The point was also made that the 36 000 birds resident in the bay at any one time in spring could pose a serious bird-strike hazard. Happily, the Chinese Authorities seem to have accepted these compelling arguments and, unofficially at least, such a plan appears to have been dropped. The argument, however, brought into clearer focus other plans for the Deep Bay coastline. These include, on the Hong Kong side, a planned new city for 130 000 people at Tin Shui Wai, expansion of the Fairview Park housing estate abutting the Mai Po reserve, Yuen Long New Town and industrial estate development, Tsang Tsui PFA lagoons, the Western New Territories Landfill site at Nim Wan, a Deep Bay coastal road and numerous other drainage and flood protection schemes, including a major Northwest New Territories trunk sewer. On the Chinese side, known projects include the Shekou Port industrial development, the Guangzhou expressway, Shenzhen City Industrial development and the training of the Shenzhen River at the head of the Bay, separating the two reserves. It is the latter which is of greatest concern because dredging to straighten, widen, and deepen the river for larger vessels must have a powerful impact upon the two reserves which literally constitute its banks. Alarm bells have been rung in Government offices in Hong Kong and an important review of all the Deep Bay proposals has been initiated to identify key problem areas and management issues with the purpose of preventing a duplication of Tolo Harbour. The review has confirmed our worst fears that Inner Deep Bay, itself designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, is already grossly polluted and that the new developments, residential and industrial, will increase the population of the bay's catchment from 800 000 to 1.5 million by 2001. With the progressive demise of polluting lowland agriculture and its replacement by an urbanized community, hopefully sewered and effluent treated, however, it seems possible that water quality might just improve, but that physical disturbance will become a key issue to address. I am, however, perhaps being too optimistic, for in reality and bearing in mind the tragedy of Tolo Harbour, acted out to its inevitable conclusion during the years 1975-1988 and where what were thought to be adequate pollution control measures were also developed, the writing for Deep 497
Marine PollutionBulletin Bay is on the wall. Red tides now permanently cover inner Tolo Harbour, darkening and dying to be replaced by another. For Deep Bay also, the visible signs are that
it too is to meet its fate as Hong Kong's darkening tides of pollution gather. BRIAN MORTON
marine environment were adopted. The first stipulates that prior to the construction of any new nuclear reprocessing plant, or before increasing the capacity of existing installations, an EIA should be carried out to ascertain that any such facilities will not cause radioactive pollution of the Paris Convention area (the NE Atlantic region). Under the second Recommendation, At the 1988 meetings of the Oslo and Paris Commismember countries agreed to apply the best available sions held in Lisbon in June of this year, both Commistechnology to minimize, and where appropriate, sions took a number of important decisions affecting eliminate radioactive discharges from the nuclear the marine environment. industry which cause pollution of the marine environThe Oslo Convention, signed in 1972 and entered ment. into force in 1974, regulates the dumping and incineraOther important discussions were centred on the tion of wastes in the North-East Atlantic region. This algal blooms experienced by the Scandinavian counyear a large part of the Commission's discussion centred tries earlier this year (see Mar. Pollut. Bull. 19, 348) around its future policy on incineration at sea. A dec'.'and participating members agreed to take effective sion was made to terminate incineration at sea by consteps in order to reduce nutrient input levels to those tracting parties and within the Oslo Convention area by sea areas most at risk. The Commission aims to sub31 December 1994. As an interim measure the Comstantially reduce (by the order of 50%) phosphorus and mission decided that the North Sea States should take nitrogen inputs to these areas by 1995 or earlier where steps to minimize or substantially reduce (by not less possible. With this aim in mind an expert working group than 65%) the use of marine incineration by 1 January will assess the action plans prepared by member coun1991. At present the North Sea is the only sea in the tries and establish a coordinated programme for the world where toxic incineration continues to take place. reduction of nutrient inputs stemming from municipal The Commission also agreed that export of wastes treatment plants, agriculture, fish-farming, industry, intended for incineration in marine waters outside the combustion plants, and vehicles. Convention area should be halted, as should other Both Commissions accepted the invitation extended environmentally-unacceptable methods of waste disby the Second North Sea Conference to establish a Task posal. The importance of loading wastes for incineraForce with the object of further developing harmonized tion in a harbour of their country of origin, and under methods for monitoring, modelling, and assessment of the full control of that country, was emphasized. environmental conditions in the North Sea at national Although environmental concerns over ocean incineraand international level. The North Sea Task Force will tion have been paramount in recent months, the Oslo be a joint working group formed by the Oslo and Paris Commission decision has been based on the new techCommissions together with ICES. nologies being developed to reduce waste production and the availability of land-based alternatives rather than on evidence of observed harmful effects. The Commission gave its full support to the agreement on the cessation and reduction of dumping of The need for international legislation to govern the pollutants reached at the Second North Sea Ministers' transport and export of toxic wastes by sea, as per the Conference held in 1987 (see Mar` Pollut. Bull. 19, 2). Recommendation newly adopted by the Oslo CommisIt was decided to establish an an hoc working group sion (see above), has been highlighted by two recently with the purpose of developing the necessary defini- reported incidents. tions and criteria required to ensure efficient impleIn the first, the 1392 tons gross West German cargomentation of the Ministerial Declaration. ship Petersberg has been effectively trapped in the Black The Commission also adopted a Recommendation Sea for over a month with her cargo of radioactive concerning the export of wastes for disposal at sea. The waste. The vessel's original destination was to have been Recommendation imposes tighter constraints on the a waste disposal site in Turkey. According to her chartransffontier movement of wastes which are destined terer the ship has only "slightly contaminated building for disposal at sea, and requires that Contracting Parties rubble" on board. However Romania has claimed that shall not export wastes for incineration or dumping at the Petersberg is loaded with high radiation petrochemsea outside the Convention area, nor allow their dis- ical material and every port in the Black Sea has since posal in other ways harmful to the environment. been closed to her. Turkey has refused to allow the ship The Paris Commission held their annual meeting passage through the Dardanelles and Romania originconsecutively with the Oslo Commission and two new ally also refused the vessel permission to re-enter the Recommendations relating to radioactivity in the River Danube to return to her port of origin, Vienna.
Oslo and Paris Commissions Meet
Toxic Cargoes--Nowhere to Go ?
498