General Information » Environment » Environmental Issues

Hong Kong faces many challenges, as you’d expect when so many people are squeezed into such a small area. The population has risen from under 500,000 to nearly seven million in the last hundred years, placing a strain on natural resources.

One of the earliest problems was the supply of enough fresh water. The British administration built reservoirs, but the problem was never really solved until water was piped from China. One side effect of the reservoir building is that very little construction was allowed in the catchment areas around the reservoirs, unintentionally forming mini-nature reserves.

Hong Kong’s seawater has also faced its share of problems. The harbour between Hong Kong island and Kowloon is still not a place you would want to swim, but water quality has improved markedly since a major sewage treatment system was commissioned in 2001. Outside the harbour, the water quality at Hong Kong’s beaches has also shown steady improvement, but still suffers after heavy rain when pollutants are washed into the sea. In open waters, there are concerns about the decline of Hong Kong’s fish stocks. There are doubts whether the AFCD can successfully meet the two seemingly incompatible goals of developing the fishing trade, while at the same time conserving fishery resources.

Air pollution has got noticeably worse since the late 1990s, with smoggy days becoming increasingly regular. Southern China’s rapid industrial development is identified as the source of the pollution, and you’ll soon learn to tell which way the wind is blowing. On days when the wind is from the south, clean air blows in from the sea and all is clear. When the wind blows from the north, the smog descends. However pointing the finger of blame is not so straightforward, as Hong Kong is the largest external investor in South China, and many of the offending factories are owned by Hong Kong companies.