Multi-tasked entity: Permanent Secretary for Environment, Transport & Works Keith Kwok says the Environmental Protection Department will undertake policy formulation, strategic planning and cross-boundary as well as international cooperation functions after merging with the Environment Branch of the Environment Transport & Works Bureau .

The Environment Branch of the Environment Transport & Works Bureau and the Environmental Protection Department have merged. The new entity will continue to be called the Environmental Protection Department, and will now undertake policy formulation, strategic planning and cross-boundary as well as international cooperation functions.

Permanent Secretary for Environment, Transport & Works Keith Kwok, who is also Director of the Environmental Protection Department, will head up the EPD. Four Deputy Directors will manage nine divisions. The deputies are:

* Dr Mike Chiu, in charge of managing environmental facilities, administering the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance, handling corporate affairs, enforcing environmental legislation and prosecutions;

* Raymond Fan, overseeing all policy matters concerning waste management and water;

* Roy Tang on air policy and nature conservation; and

* Esmond Lee on all cross-boundary and international matters.

"It is the common aim of everyone in the new EPD to improve our performance in our service to the community in enhancing the quality of our environment," Mr Kwok said at a press conference to announce the merger.

"Government cannot go it alone in its effort to protect the environment without public support. Our priority therefore is to join hands with the community in tackling the myriad environmental issues."

To that end, the EPD has updated its home page, http://www.epd.gov.hk, adding many interactive features.

"A persistent theme in our work in future will be public involvement. We shall step up our public education and encourage public participation in all aspects of our work. In the coming year, we shall closely work with the Environment Campaign Committee to organise a number of major promotional activities, which include the World Environment Day and Hong Kong Environment Festival to publicise environmental protection messages in respect of energy efficiency, separation of waste at source, waste reduction, waste recycling and nature conservation," he said.

On April 9, the EPD will launch a campaign to encourage the public to take part in a collection and recycling programme for rechargeable batteries.

Mr Kwok broadly outlined the EPD's plans and priorities in tackling the many environmental challenges.

He noted that Hong Kong has been working closely with the Guangdong Environmental Protection Bureau to tackle the problem of air pollution.

"Both sides are working hard to implement the PRD Air Quality Management Programme with a view to achieving significant reductions in the major pollutants by 2010," he said.

A regional network of 16 air quality monitoring stations has been set up and trial test results will soon be available. The EPD aims to have the full regional air monitoring network up and running in the summer.

A timetable for emissions trading has been agreed with the Guangdong authorities, he said, adding the target is to work introduce the scheme's details to the power companies by the third quarter of 2006 so they can identify emissions-trading partners.

Standards of petrol for sale in Hong Kong have been boosted to the Euro IV standards, and all petrol filling stations had to install vapour recovery systems on January 1.

"From  January 1, 2006, we shall make it a legal requirement for all light vehicles to comply with Euro IV emission standards," Mr Kwok said. "We have also substantially completed our public consultation on volatile organic compounds and would be able to finalise our legislative proposals in the next few months."

The public consultation on Harbour Area Treatment Scheme 2 has ended, and the EPD is now developing an implementation programme. Plans include:

* accelerating the disinfection system without waiting for the completion of the Stage 2 works while environmental impact assessment studies are underway; and

* designing and undertaking site investigation for the deep tunnels for Stage 2, which will take a long time to construct.

Advance disinfection works should be completed by 2008-09, he said, while Stage 2A should be finished by 2013-14. "Upon their completion, the disinfection facilities would bring immediate relief to the quality of water at the Tsuen Wan beaches," he noted.

"Water quality is one area where we believe we should strengthen our partnership with the general public through implementation of the 'polluter-pays' principle," he said.

To reduce the Government subsidy and meet the expected increase in operating costs with the new facilities' introduction, the EPD will review current levels of sewage charge and trade effluence surcharge. They have remained unchanged since their introduction 10 years ago.

After a trial run this summer, the EPD plans to implement a charging scheme this summer for construction and demolition waste."We believe the charging scheme will provide the necessary incentives to reduce the production of waste and reuse as well as recycle as much as possible," Mr Kwok said.

Other ongoing plans to fight the growing mountains of solid waste include:

* an investigation into waste treatment technologies, whose results will be made public in April or May;

* publication of a White Paper on municipal waste management in September;

* expanding the scheme to promote separation of domestic waste !V 166 housing estates have taken part in the scheme so far - with a target of 180 public and private housing estates this year covering a population of around 1 million;

* studying the feasibility and practicable implications of product responsibility schemes with a view to implementing the "polluter-pays" principle;

* studying the introduction of a Product Responsibility Scheme for waste tyres; and

* examining the problem of plastic bags and studying the policies and experiences of other jurisdictions on the subject and the practicability of applying a charging scheme in Hong Kong.

"We shall fully consult the public and stakeholders on these issues where we have formulated our proposals," he said.

The EPD is inviting proposals to undertake nature conservation projects under a policy introduced last October.

"We hope that the new policy will prove to be capable of providing a framework for greater public participation in our partnership to preserve and enhance nature conservation in the ecologically significant areas," Mr Kwok said.

He stressed that the EPD was "determined to contribute our best efforts towards enhancing the quality of the environment and I appeal to you and the community for your support."