Press Releases
SFH meets with District Councils on environmental hygiene (with photo)
The Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, today (September 18) met
with representatives of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Committees under
the 18 District Councils (DC) to discuss how to harness and build on the
spirit permeating the two-month "Keep Clean 2015@Hong Kong: Our Home"
campaign and make keeping the environment clean an integral part of our
internalised routine.
At the meeting, representatives of the Food and Environmental Hygiene
Department, the Home Affairs Department and the Environmental Protection
Department briefed participants on how they had gone about tackling thorny
environmental hygiene problems during the campaign including private
streets, rear lanes, "three nil" buildings, and shoreline refuse and
construction waste. The Lands Department and the Drainage Services
Department also sent representatives to attend the meeting and exchange
views with the DC members.
Dr Ko said, "The 'Keep Clean 2015@Hong Kong: Our Home' campaign has received
strong support from the 18 District Councils and different sectors since it
was rolled out in August. The work on cleaning up hygiene blackspots and
keeping the environment clean is beginning to bear fruit. The campaign has
also helped arouse public awareness of the cleanliness issues. We will focus
on how to leverage on this foundation so that the momentum of our efforts to
keep Hong Kong clean can be carried forward. This cannot be achieved without
the participation of the districts and support from the public and various
sectors."
The District Council members taking part in the discussions made a number of
suggestions to the Government on how to improve district environmental
hygiene, such as stepping up enforcement actions as well as publicity and
public education, and improving the procurement, management and supervision
mechanisms of cleaning work contracts. They also agreed that the
Government's environmental hygiene measures and surveillance will yield
better results if there is active involvement by DC members and district
personalities who are familiar with the circumstances on the ground.
Dr Ko said, "To this end, I plan to meet with the Chairmen and Vice-chairmen
of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Committee of the District Councils
every six months, through which a clear picture about the latest
environmental hygiene situations, including key areas requiring attention,
can be obtained. That will allow us to review and adjust our strategies in a
timely manner to derive, through better use of scarce resources, greater
synergy from the concerted efforts that the Government and the DCs are
making to keep Hong Kong clean."
The Government launched the two-month "Keep Clean 2015@Hong Kong: Our Home"
campaign on August 1. During the campaign, various events have been
organised in the 18 districts to improve environmental and home hygiene. The
participating bureaux, departments and public organisation have been
stepping up cleaning work in areas under their purview. They have also been
working closely with the District Councils, owners' corporations, mutual aid
committees, community organisations and stakeholders in different sectors to
strengthen promotion and public education reminding the public to keep the
environment clean. Footage of events organised by various districts under
the campaign has been uploaded to the Internet (www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQBMLTGe99g).
Ends/Friday, September 18, 2015
Issued at HKT 19:19
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Photo