HK observes Clean Hong Kong Day
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-06-28 11:52

Over 4,000 Hong Kong residents Sunday walked along streets in central parts of the city with slogans calling on other Hong Kong residents to maintain good hygiene and jointly build a cleaner city.

This is part of activities held to observe the first Clean Hong Kong Day. Experiencing the anti-SARS fight, Hong Kong residents have already recognized the importance of a clean city to maintaining public health.

Cleaning activities are conducted in all 18 districts Sunday, in an effort to wipe out mosquitoes and prevent citizens from contact with mosquito-related diseases and other epidemic diseases.

Japanese encephalitis, a rare disease in Hong Kong, has killed one Indonesian house keeper this year and left another man in critical conditions. Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) government attaches great importance to the anti-mosquito campaign and urging residents to take part in the campaign.

A thorough cleaning is being conducted in beaches, residential areas and urban city and volunteers will also help clean apartments for elderly people.

Hong Kong's Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) will continue to take strict measures to maintain the cleanliness of its venues and beach barbecue areas.

"We will not tolerate litterbugs and will prosecute anyone found littering at our venues," said the department's Chief Leisure Manager (Hong Kong West) Doris Fok, during a clean-up and anti-littering operation at Deep Water Bay Beach Sunday in support of the Clean Hong Kong Day.

She pointed out that since the implementation of direct issuance of HK$1,500 (US$192) Fixed Penalty Notices to litterbugs last June, a total of 284 such notices had been issued at LCSD venues, of which 18 were given out at LCSD beaches.

Fok appealed for public cooperation to keep the venues including beaches and barbecue sites clean and tidy.

"It is everyone's civic responsibility to keep the environment clean and be considerate while enjoying our public facilities. All beach-goers and barbecue pit users should clean up before leaving and dispose of their rubbish properly," she said.

Some 200 volunteers and students from four non-governmental organizations and three secondary schools in the district joined hands in support of the operation, collecting 34 kilograms of litter and cleaned up 33 barbecue pits.

In an other development, Hong Kong Secretary for Health Welfare and Food Yeoh Eng-kiong Sunday reminded food premises operators to observe good hygiene practices in handling food and keeping their premises clean in order to prevent food-borne diseases.

He made the call at the opening ceremony of the Southern District Clean Food Premises Pledge Scheme, one of the activities of the territory-wide Clean Hong Kong Day. Over 70 food premises in the district participated in the scheme.

"To keep infectious diseases at bay, we should always be prepared and remain vigilant by observing good hygiene practices and maintaining our environment clean," he said.

To help improve the hygiene conditions of food premises, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department operates an incentive scheme for hygiene improvement in food premises under which loans will be provided to eligible food business owners.

Close

Today's Top News     Top China News
Rules to target 'irresponsible' officials         Iraqi group threatens to behead US Marine         Proof sought to sue Japan over WWII weapon         Wu vows opener economic system         Lightning hits trees, kills 17 in Zhejiang         Iraq invasion an 'enormous mistake'	Wu vows opener economic system       Proof sought to sue Japan over WWII weapon       China to reprint rare Buddhist text       Lightning hits trees, kills 17 in Zhejiang       Man-made waves deepen Yellow River       Rules to target 'irresponsible' officials