DDEC) Southern District Council (SDC)
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Minutes of the 9th Meeting of the District Development and Environment Committee (DDEC) Southern District Council (SDC) Date : 27 May 2013 Time : 2:30 p.m. Venue : SDC Conference Room Present: Mr CHU Ching-hong, JP (Chairman of SDC) Mr CHAN Fu-ming, MH (Vice-Chairman of SDC) Mr LAM Kai-fai, MH (Chairman of DDEC) Mrs MAK TSE How-ling, Ada (Vice-Chairlady of DDEC) Mr AU Lap-sing Mr AU Nok-hin Mr CHAI Man-hon Mrs CHAN LEE Pui-ying Ms CHEUNG Sik-yung Mr CHU Lap-wai Mr FUNG Se-goun, Fergus Ms LAM Yuk-chun, MH Mr LO Kin-hei Dr LIU Hong-fai, Dandy Mr TSUI Yuen-wa Dr YANG Mo, PhD Mr YEUNG Wai-foon, MH, JP Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN Mr CHAN Man-chun Mr LEE Kwan-keung Dr MUI Heung-fu, Dennis Mr TSOI Chi-chung, Raymond 1 Absent with Apologies: Mr FUNG Wai-kwong Mr WONG Ling-sun, Vincent Mr LAU Kar-wah Secretary: Miss CHENG Kwan-wai, Vivian Executive Officer (District Council) 2, Southern District Office, Home Affairs Department In Attendance: Ms WAI Yee-yan, Christine District Officer (Southern), Home Affairs Department Miss NG Kai-ting, Nettie Assistant District Officer (Southern), Home Affairs Department Miss LIN Ming Senior Executive Officer (District Council), Southern District Office, Home Affairs Department Mr CHAN Ip-to, Tony Senior Executive Officer (District Management), Southern District Office, Home Affairs Department Mr CHEUNG Chin-hung, Jason Senior Engineer 4 (Hong Kong Island Division 2), Civil Engineering and Development Department Dr LEE Wai-tak, Anthony Senior Environmental Protection Officer (Regional South) 3, Environmental Protection Department Mr CHOW Wing-che District Environmental Hygiene Superintendent (Southern), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Mr WONG Sun-man Housing Manager/Hong Kong 4, Housing Department Ms TAM Wai-chu, Rachel Deputy District Leisure Manager (Southern) 1, Leisure and Cultural Services Department Ms CHAN Oi-kwan, Josephine Estate Surveyor/Aberdeen (District Lands Office, Hong Kong West and South), Lands Department Miss YIU Yuk, Isabel Senior Town Planner/HK 1, Planning Department 2 Attending by Invitation (Agenda Item 2): Dr Jaime SIN Senior Medical & Health Officer (Community Liaison) 2, Department of Health Mr MO Kai-hong Senior Field Officer (Avian Influenza), Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department Attending by Invitation (Agenda Item 5): Ms Cindy TSANG Director, Townland Consultants Ltd. Mr Ben CHEUNG Senior Town Planner, Townland Consultants Ltd. Attending by Invitation (Agenda Item 6 – Follow-up Item 4): Mr LEUNG Chung-lap Senior Engineer/HK2, Water Supplies Department Mr WAN Wai-yin Engineer/HK (Distribution 6), Water Supplies Department Opening Remarks: The Chairman welcomed Members and government representatives to the meeting. 2. The Chairman said that to facilitate smooth proceeding of meeting, according to Order 15(3) of the SDC (2012-2015) Standing Orders, all persons attending or sitting in the meeting should switch off all devices which might emit sound, and should not use any telecommunications devices for conversation during the course of the meeting. Each Member would be allotted a maximum of two 3-minute slots to speak in respect of each agenda item. 3. The Chairman continued that Mr WONG Ling-sun was sick and unable to attend the meeting, while Mr FUNG Wai-kwong and Mr LAU Kar-wah had informed the Secretariat in advance of their absence because of other engagements. The 3 Chairman invited Members to note and approve the leave application of Mr WONG Ling-sun. Agenda Item 1: Confirmation of the Draft Minutes of the District Development and Environment Committee Meeting Held on 15 April 2013 4. The Chairman said that prior to the meeting, the draft minutes of the 8th meeting had been circulated to all Members and relevant government department representatives. The Secretariat had not received amendment proposals so far. 5. The minutes were confirmed by the Committee. Agenda Item 2: Due Attention to Wild Birds in Southern District as a Precaution against H7N9 (Item raised by Mrs MAK TSE How-ling, Mr CHU Lap-wai and Mr YEUNG Wai-foon, MH, JP) (DDEC Paper No. 21/2013) (Dr YANG Mo, PhD, Mr FUNG Se-goun, Dr LIU Hong-fai and Mr AU Nok-hin joined the meeting at 2:36 p.m., 2:43 p.m., 2:50 p.m. and 2:51 p.m. respectively.) 6. The Chairman welcomed the following departmental representatives to the meeting: Department of Health (DH) - Dr Jaime SIN, Senior Medical & Health Officer (Community Liaison) 2 Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) - Mr MO Kai-hong, Senior Field Officer (Avian Influenza) 7. Mr CHU Lap-wai and Mrs MAK TSE How-ling briefly introduced the reasons for raising the agenda item. Details were summarised as follows: 4 (a) wild birds were found clustering in many parts of the Southern District, which had become a persistent nuisance to residents. Also, in the face of the current outbreak of avian influenza (H7N9), it was particularly worrying that birds’ droppings might spread the virus; (b) the written replies from the departments concerned were quite generic. Departments concerned were asked about their specific plans to deal with wild bird congregation; (c) the main cause of wild bird congregation was bird feeding by people. The departments concerned were asked to advise on the prevention of wild bird congregation at source; (d) every year, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) would organise a market cleansing day and community clean-up activities, but these campaigns did not target at wild bird congregation; (e) the publicity and public education campaigns of the departments concerned did not target at prevention of H7N9 outbreak and wild bird feeding; and (f) apart from the congregation black-spots as stated in the written reply of the department concerned, it was wished that the department concerned could step up cleansing efforts in other black-spots including the road section at Shek Pai Wan near Teenage Warehouse Club, and strengthen liaison with private residential estates regarding the cleansing of birds’ droppings. 8. The Chairman asked if representatives from departments concerned had anything to add. 9. Dr Jaime SIN said that DH had nothing to add at the moment. 10. Mr MO Kai-hong supplemented as follows: (a) AFCD was not empowered to prosecute wild bird feeding under existing legislation; (b) subject to environmental and conservation considerations, AFCD would not deliberately capture certain species of birds or animals for the purpose of reducing their population. If avian congregation became serious, residents might borrow bird cages from AFCD to capture wild birds, and then surrender them to AFCD for disposal; (c) after removing the existing wild pigeons, if there is food, new pigeons 5 from the surrounding areas would quickly move in to take their place. Thus, capturing wild birds could not eradicate the problem, and it was necessary to educate the public in the first place; and (d) upon receipt of complaints, apart from collecting avian samples for laboratory testing, AFCD would distribute information leaflets through management offices of the residential estates concerned to arouse public awareness of avian flu. 11. Mr CHOW Wing-che supplemented as follows: (a) in the face of the threat of H7N9, FEHD had stepped up cleansing streets and public toilets, and used disinfecting solution to cleanse and disinfect public places where wild birds congregated every day; (b) would follow up on the cleansing work in the neighbourhood of Teenage Warehouse Club; and (c) notices had been posted at a number of public places where wild birds congregated in the Southern District to remind people not to feed wild birds. In case people failed to clean up the leftover feed in public places, FEHD’s law enforcement staff would issue fixed penalty tickets to the offenders according to the Fixed Penalty (Public Cleanliness Offences) Ordinance. 12. Ms TAM Wai-chu supplemented as follows: (a) notices had been posted at conspicuous locations in the venues of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) to remind people not to feed wild birds, with a view to preventing wild bird congregation. After touching birds or their droppings, people should wash their hands immediately to prevent the further spreading of the virus; and (b) if people were found feeding wild birds or failing to clean up the places after feeding the birds, LCSD staff would take enforcement action according to the Pleasure Grounds Regulations Cap. 132 Section 11 or Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance in which appropriate. 13. Mr CHU Ching-hong, JP, Mr AU Lap-sing, Mr AU Nok-hin, Mrs CHAN LEE Pui-ying, Mr CHU Lap-wai, Ms LAM Yuk-chun, MH, Mr LO Kin-hei, Mrs 6 MAK TSE How-ling, Dr YANG Mo, PhD, Mr Paul ZIMMERMAN and Mr LEE Kwan-keung raised comments and enquiries on the subject. Details were summarised as follows: Measures taken by the departments concerned against avian influenza (H7N9) (a) asked whether the Housing Department (HD) had cleaned public housing estates in the Southern District more frequently in the face of the H7N9 epidemic; (b) it was noted that some residents in public housing estates fed wild birds at their balconies, resulting that other units nearby were suffered from the nuisances of birds’ droppings. It was asked how HD would deal with the situation; (c) had followed up on pigeon congregation at the Repulse Bay Beach Car Park with LCSD previously, and questioned LCSD’s response that no wild birds were found clustering around the location concerned; (d) in 2012, FEHD had prosecuted 59 offenders for littering public places during feeding of wild birds. A Member asked about the percentage that involved private residential estates; and (e) government departments had the responsibility to regulate the precautionary measures against avian flu taken by private organisations such as cleansing contractors or property management companies.