Tai Tam Waterfall
The environmental protection group Greenpeace tested the water samples of eight rivers in Hong Kong and found that half of them contained microplastics. They urged the government to regularly test the microplastics content of the streams and hope that merchants can provide plastic-free packaging. The Water Supplies Department responded that the government had added microplastics to the new watch list in April this year.
Greenpeace conducted the first survey of microplastics in rural streams in Hong Kong, and found that half of the water samples from eight rivers contained microplastics. Among them, the content of microplastics in Ng Tung Village in Tai Po and Tai Mo Shan stream from the waterfall had the highest count of 24 grains per litre; Tung Chung’s Wong Lung Hang and Hong Kong Island’s Tai Tam Mound Waterfall had eight grains per litre. The samples from Sai Kung’s Hau Tang Creek, Ma On Shan’s Mai Tai Stream, Mui Wo’s Silver Mine Falls and Lo Kei Wan on Lantau Island do not contain microplastics.
Greenpeace said that the survey results indicate that the water source has been contaminated. Among the places sampled, the microplastics in the waterfalls of Tai Tam may flow into the drinking water system, threatening the health of the public, or affecting the nervous, immune and endocrine systems. The group urged the government to regularly test the content of microplastics in the streams and hope that merchants can provide plastic-free packaging.
The Water Supplies Department responded that the fresh water supplied to Ng Tong Village in Tai Po and the villages near Tai Mo Shan Stream has been treated by the water treatment plant and is therefore suitable for drinking. In April this year, the government added microplastics to the newly added watch list.
Be the first to comment