C4 Urban Problems

Cathy PhoebeMelissaNicoleKoffey

Water PollutionThe amount of exotic materials entering the

water body reaches a level that destroys the original usage

Water pollution can destroy the marine/groundwater/fresh surface water system

Black spots of the sea pollution1. Northeastern part of the Victoria Harbour2. Western coast of the Kowloon East3. Tolo Harbour4. Kowloon Bay

Causes1. Residential sewage2. Agricultural waste3. Industrial sewage4. Urban sewage5. Silt by soil erosion6. Others : reclamation, oil spillage, acid rain, etc.

1. Rapid development of infrastructure and reclamation

Over West Kowloon: large scale reclamation projects

Reduces the size of harbourAffects the ability of transport and tidal

washingPollutants cannot be diluted or drifted away

Reclamation in West Kowloon

2. Serious water pollution in the typhoon shelter

storm storm water drains receive raw raw sewage and industrial effluent sewage and industrial effluent via improper connections

Some discharges are from vessels themselves. Some vessel users also dump garbage into

the water.It has stagnant water flowPollutants cannot be flushed out easily

3. Results of urbanization and industrialization

Increasing size of population and the improving living standard

Waste and industrial sewage increaseAffect the assimilate( 同化 ) of the oceanMost obvious in the sheltered bay and inner

bay which have slow water currentThe amount of pollutants has increased greatly

Economic impactsDecrease in irrigation water:

Animal wastes / agro-chemicals contaminate ground

water + streamsFarming productivity Inputs + costs increaseRevenue

Economic impactsDecrease in industrial water

water supply for 1. low-value added industries 2. water-consuming

industries For example, bleaching & dyeing, paper-making

industry, textile & clothingDaily operation is disruptedHinder industrial production income for both the industry and the

government

Social impactsImport of water decreases

Import water from Dong JiangIf river is polluted, in water import

Drinkable water 2004 only 1/3 cities in PRD had an adequate water supplySupply of water water bills/ expenditure

Affect human healthHK imports tonnes of agricultural produce

from PRD every dayWater and soil pollution food safety problem

affect our health

Environmental impactsEutrophication Destroying ecosystem

Nutrient increases Algal bloom Dissolved Oxygen level

form anaerobic condition marine life suffocate

loss of biodiversity Eutrophication Human losses

Polluted water sources drinkable water Loss of income : e.g. fishing industry

Food chain effectBiological magnification Pollutants flow from 1 trophic level to another in the

food chain

Threatened the ecosystemContaminated river = contains toxic chemicals +

heavy metals

Accumulated in marine life cause diseases fish die

Sewerage Master Plans (SMPs)provide a blueprint

of the sewage infrastructure

required to collect sewage on a catchment-by-catchment basis and direct it to treatment facilities.

1. Sewage Charge2. Trade Effluent Surcharge1. SC is levied on all water users whose

premises are connected to public sewersThe amount is calculated according to a

prescribed unit rate and the volume of water supplied to the premises

(other than that supplied specifically for flushing purposes).

2. TES is the additional charge on top of SCfor the cost incurred in treating effluents of

strength typically stronger than domestic sewage

The Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS)1. Sewage collection2. Sewage treatment3. Sewage disposal strategy

Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works

Chromium pollution in Pearl River Delta21st August 2011cancer-causing chemicals, chromium( 鉻渣 )dumped near a waterway in Yunnan Province ( 雲南 )Nanpan River( 南盤江 ), which is upstream of

the Pearl River system The source of pollution is more than 2,000

kilometres upstream from the mouth of the Pearl River.

Solid WasteMunicipal Solid Waste (MSW) = Integrated waste mainly from citySources: domestic, industrial, commercial,

constructionMSW excludes construction wasteIn 2009, HK produced 13000 tons of MSW and construction waste every day

Main causes in HK1. Household source (Newspaper, plastic lunch box, furniture)

2. Industrial source(Clay and ash, toxic chemicals, metal, glass)

3. Agricultural source(Untreated livestock waste)

Disposal of solid waste at landfills in 2010

1. Increasing populationIn 2008, the per capita disposal rate of

municipal solid waste was 1.35 kg per day.

HK population : 7,108,100 in 2010Only 35% of Hong Kong’s domestic waste is

recycled

Landfills under great pressure

2. UrbanizationHigher living standard more willing to buy

To attract customers, producers tend to place much emphasis on packaging

Increase usage of paper, cardboard, plastic, etc.

3. IndustrializationImproved production methodProductivity increasedTechnological advancedNew products are introduced more

frequently esp. the E-productsMore e-waste is produced

More than 70,000 tones e-waste per yearLess then 2% is properly recycled and treated

Effect on Health Higher risk of respiratory problems

Breathing in polluted dust or particles

Risk of causing cancer and skin diseasesthe leakage of toxic chemical of solid waste like leadEating fruits and vegetables that have been grown

in polluted soilthe poisoned soil will come into contact with the

skin Chemical poisoning

Effect on HealthA breeding ground for disease

Create conditions favourable to the survival and growth of microbial pathogens when wastes ferment ( 發酵 )

Direct handling of solid waste can result in various types of infectious and chronic diseases with the waste workers being the most

vulnerableHygienic problems as the smell attract the

flies, mosquitoes and rats

Effect on Living StandardVisual pollution

Ruin the beautiful scenery in the countryside

Noise and Air Pollutionmany heavy-duty vehicles moving in and out

Bad smell of solid wastedisturbe nearby residentsfor example, the residents of Lohas Park ( 日出康城 )

always complain the smell come from the landfill site in Tsuen Kwan O

Effect on Society(Environment)Contamination of our environment

Mainly caused by toxic chemicals Heavy metals in batteries, the chemicals in household

cleaning Especially E-waste contains dangerous heavy metals

(such as lead and mercury) Leach into the ground Poison the soil and the water nearby

For example, leakage of impermeable liner in landfill will cause the chemicals leakage and soil contamination

Water pollution Runoff from landfillsSeepage from landfills into groundwater

sources

Ecosystem and food chain is upsetCaused by water pollutionMercury accumulates in the tissues of animals up

the food chain until it reaches toxic levels in large fish such as tuna and swordfish

Roots of vegetation is poisoned and plants are killed by methane production

(**Decomposing organic material in solid waste can create methane, an explosive gas that contributes 25 times more than carbon dioxide per ton to global warming)

Solid waste pollution

Landfill it is one of the oldest waste treatment it disposes waste by buried

Steps 1)Weight collection vehicles collect waste from the city’2) Waste Collection Vehicle is Weighed at Weighbridge on

Arrival 3) Waste Truck Unloads at the Tipping Face 4) The Vehicle Passes the Vehicle-Wash System after

Unloading 5) The Vehicle is Weighed at Weighbridge on Departure

Advantagesmatters deposited in the landfill are

degraded naturally

it is more economical as the operating cost is lower and the procedures are simple

DisadvantagesLarge scale deforestation is needed the landfill pollutes the environment and destroys the

ecosystemsome waste include toxic materials and these toxic substance

may leak into soilpolluted water will leaked into soil the landfill has certain life expectancyRestriction to the land use development on the used landfill

site Buildings cannot be erected in at least 20 yearsserious pollution to the surrounding environment e.g. noise

and air pollution

Case in Hong Kong 環保署正視 日出康城臭味投訴環保署正視 日出康城臭味投訴 將軍澳港鐵康城站上蓋物業，日出康城第一期首都於今年 6 月正式入伙，由於物業與將軍澳堆填區只相隔不足一公里，西貢區議員，以至環保署近日已開始收到居民投訴指受臭味滋擾。有議員形容，日出康城快成為「臭味之城」，環保署有責任盡快改善。 日出康城與將軍澳堆填區相距只有 850 米，中間只有一個工業邨相隔。 首都業主陳先生表示，入伙前已知道屋苑與堆填區接近，故買樓時都曾駕車到地盤附近視察，當時都沒發現特別臭味，但大雨過後不時嗅到濃烈的垃圾氣味，造成頗大的困擾。 西貢區議員吳雪山表示，首都入伙只有個多月，其辦事處　已接獲十多宗居民不滿堆填區臭味的投訴，來自將軍澳工業邨的投訴亦有所增加，但將軍澳南部屋苑，例如寶盈花園、維景灣畔的投訴則減少，他分析道：「除首都 5 座外，領都十座愈建愈高，好似形成一道屏風，阻隔臭味吹入將軍澳南，但苦了首都及工業邨的居民及工友。」 環保署於去年指示了堆填區承辦商實施多項額外措施，包括在特殊廢物槽上加上活動覆蓋、在已填埋及覆蓋的廢物上敷設額外不透氣頂層及額外安裝抽氣管道和流動堆填氣燃燒爐。以上的進一步改善氣味管理措施已大部分完成。吳雪山亦表示，西貢區議會轄下的臭味監測小組，早前已委託顧問公司及大學研究解決臭味問題的方法，並已聘請數十名大學生，用嗅覺偵察將軍澳一帶的臭味，以便搜集更多數據。環保署設置的電子鼻，預計可在年底投入服務。 (本報記者鄞志輝報道 ) 

IncinerationIt is a kind of Thermal waste treatmentIt involve combustion of organic substance of solid waste

Advantages:- it is possible to recycle the heat energy to generate

renewable electricity-it can reduce the volume of the solid waste to 10% of the

orginal size -lengthen the life of landfill-It can decompose the part of the toxic materials into CO2- limited space is used

Incineration Disadvantagesit is possible to release toxic materials and carcinogen,

especially when there are operating problems of the incinerators

heavy metal, dioxins and so onit will seriously hinder the health of nearby residentshinder the natural scenerythe remaining ashes of the wastes will release more toxic

substance than the asheslarge scale release of CO2 which will speed up the

greenhouse effectBecause of the higher toxic content , the cost of the

waste treatment will be much higher, for around 8 times

ExampleThe Hong Kong government planned to set up an

incinerator in Shek Kwa Chau to solve the rising solid waste problem

it will combust around 3000 tonnes of solid waste per day the heat it released will be used to generate electricity of

100 thousand household

Incinerator planned in Shek Kwu Chau

EducationAdvantages

to encourage the 4R, Recycle, Reuse, Reduce, Replace

to save energy for treating the wastes to reduce the emission of toxic and greenhouse

gases during waste treatment to conserve the natural resources it is the minimum cost for solid waste disposal it will promote the local economy by developing

the recycling industry it can save the space for the solid waste

treatment plants and the landfill so reduce the landuse conflict

more job opportunities can be provided by the recycling industry ,esp. for the low skilled labour

Disadvantagespossible pollution to the surrounding environmentaccumulation of wastespossible release of toxic substance during the recycleBFRs from the electronic devices like the LED

monitors from different manufactures like HP, IBM and so on is easily found from the recycling areas. It will damage the brain development and IQ of human

local recycling may not be economicalspecial technology is needed for some recyclinghigh labour cost, high land rent, insufficient supply of

the recyclable materials the Recycling industry may still require additional

spaces

Example: Hong Kong EcoParkAim: to promote the local recycling and environmental

industry provide lower land rent to the recycling industriesInfrastructures are provided e.g. private pier ,

managing serviceBuild-in environmental protection measures can

reduce the production cost of operators

Phase 1&2 of EcoPark