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1. Red tide in the Pearl River estuary is tipped to worsen

2. HK planning to reduce its population density

1. Red tide in the Pearl River estuary is tipped to worsen
MAY CHAN, SCMP 6 May 2003

A 300 sq km red tide responsible for killing large numbers of fish in the Pearl River estuary is here to stay for at least several months, say Guangdong government officials.

The algae bloom appeared last week in the river delta bordering Hong Kong, and developed into its present size in just a few days, the China Daily said yesterday.

The red tide is caused by pollutants from industrial discharge, farming waste and fertiliser runoff containing nitrogen and phosphorus. It kills fish and other marine life by exhausting the oxygen in the water and releasing lethal toxins.

Officials from the Guangdong Provincial Bureau of Water Resources are reported to have said that it could be several months before the bloom disperses.

"Red tides in the flood seasons [now], instead of the dry seasons, are historically proven predictors of severe drought in the province later in the year," a Guangdong water resource official was quoted as saying by the China Daily.

This could mean a more vigorous bloom of algae as the pollutants become more concentrated in the sea water without the diluting effect of rainfall and river runoff, the official said.

His concerns were shared by a mainland environmental science expert contacted by the South China Morning Post.

"The red tide problem would probably linger, if not become worse, in the next few years,'' said He Sheng-tao, a veteran environmental engineer in Beijing.

"Apart from the drought problem, there is the money problem. Everyone knows that the most effective way to stem red tide is waste-water treatment, which is too expensive for most of the people [on the mainland]."

Mr He said red tide had worsened in recent years, savaging marine life in the northern Bohai Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea near the Pearl River estuary, because of serious pollution.

More than 1.2 million tonnes of pollutants were carried into the sea by the Pearl River alone last year, the China Daily report said.

"Most coastal cities had started building sewage treatment plants in the past few years, but most of them were small and poorly equipped because of insufficient funds. Government and people ought to inject more money into environmental protection because pollution is going to take a toll on the economy,'' Mr He said.

2. HK planning to reduce its population density
CHLOE LAI, SCMP 6 May 2003

The Hong Kong government is planning to reduce the population density in the special administrative region amid the slowdown in population growth and the slump in property market.

A senior government official said a study was being conducted to find out which part of the city should be less crowded.

Tseung Kwan O and southeast Kowloon are the two major areas identified so far.

Officials are also looking into whether other sites across Hong Kong, which were planned for residential use, should be switched to other purposes, such as schools and recreation parks.

Also, the authorities are considering lowering the plot ratio of development at some sites to reduce the population density.

The official said the Sars outbreak had provided the government with a golden opportunity to push ahead with the idea of "quality over quantity" in city planning as Hong Kong has long been recognised for its crowding.

While the average population density per square kilometre in Hong Kong is 6,217, in the most crowded district of the city - Kwun Tong - each square kilometre now houses 55,077 people.

"In the past, even legislators didn't buy this idea of lower population density. Every time we tried to promote this idea, we were rejected by developers," the official said, adding "whether they want quality or quantity, it is a matter of the people's choice."

But with Sars, especially with the outbreak at Amoy Gardens in Kwun Tong, the government was confident that more people in Hong Kong would realise the importance of a better living environment.

It is understood the government is considering further scaling down the size of development in Tseung Kwan O and southeast Kowloon.

At present, Tseung Kwan O is home to about 300,000 people and it is planned to house a population of 480,000.

The new town has been criticised as an example of how quality of living has given way to solving the housing shortage problem, with the government deciding to make it the home of 520,000 people in early 1997.

Last week, the Territorial Development Department tabled a paper to the Legislative Council on the future development of the new town, in which it outlined four development options. One option is to cap the town's population at 460,000.

The government had originally planned to make southeast Kowloon, which includes the site of the former Kai Tak airport and 123 hectares of reclaimed land along the shore in Kowloon Bay, the home of 320,000 people. The planned population of the new town was reduced to 240,000 in July 1999, with features such as an international sports stadium and village, aviation and maritime museums and a millennium tower and metropolitan park.

The official stressed it was natural for Hong Kong to opt for quantity and build more homes in the past as the city had a very strong housing demand.

Now Hong Kong's population, which currently stands at 6.7 million, will only grow to 8.7 million in 2031 because of the low birth rate and an increasing number of people moving back to the mainland.

Also, property prices, which have fallen by more than 60 per cent since the handover, have reduced the demand.

All these had made better city planning more feasible, he said.

But veteran architect Chris Law said the basket of indicators on living quality comprised more than density, saying: "It also relates to infrastructure, accessibility to services, privacy and space, as well as the people residing there."