Northern District coastal waters heavily polluted

The government should build a new sewage treatment plant, extend the water pipe system and conduct regularl checks on illegal sewerage as well as waste drainage, said Leong Ka Hong, a member of the Social Services Advisory Committee of the Northern District in the group’s fourth meeting this year, held yesterday. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge building and the new Zone A landfill project have both narrowed the waterway, impeding the speed of water flow and thus directly causing water pollution in the river and sludge accumulation along the coast, said Mr. Leong. In addition, some illegally channelled waterways are interfering with the proper function of other water drains flowing into the river, Mr. Leong explained. A lot of dead fish have been found on several occasions in Patane North Bay due to heavy mental content in the water and toxic materials embedded in the mud of the river. According to the 2014 Environment Report on Macau issued by the Environmental Protection Bureau (DSPA), water pollution in Macau is worsening, with some monitoring points registering an excessive reading in the pollution index of non-metal substances in the water. From 2013 to 2014, the water quality in Areia Preta and the Border Gate coast has deteriorated, with the measurement index rising to 38.3 from 27.8, representing a 37.8 per cent increase. Improving the condition of public roads An increase in the budget spending on the repair of public roads is necessary to ensure the material quality of the roads, said Chan Tak Seng, a member of the Social Services Advisory Committee of the Northern District during the meeting. Meanwhile, adding new rules to the general rules of urban architecture and establishing a database for the traffic flow of public roads in order to avoid constant repair is a necessity. The high frequency of repairing public roads not only causes inconvenience to pedestrians, Mr. Chan said, but also puts their safety at risk. Boosting tourism Since the Mainland Chinese Government loosened the tourist visa regime to Macau, the potential for developing the Northern District’s tourism is high, said Ma Kin Cheong, another member of the advisory body. While developing the tourism sector in the district, it also needs to balance the demand for eateries, accommodation, and public transportation for both locals and tourists. Thus, providing small and medium-sized enterprises with sufficient facilities is needed, Mr. Ma suggested, and also pointed out that increasing the capacity of the Border Gate Customs in terms of passing-through time is required to accommodate the demand of tourists coming to Macau.