Dear Mr. Jason Leung,

Thanks for your letter. In your letter, you complained about the problem of water pollution in Hong Kong, such as a lot of rubbish in the sea, untreated sewage and red tide. Now, I would like to explain to you what the Government has done to tackle the problem of water pollution in Hong Kong.

Firstly, it is clear that you always see a lot of rubbish floating on the sea. However, the government has been cleaning up Victoria Harbour. Besides, the government has been spending more money on this problem than on any other environmental problem. Therefore, the problem of rubbish in the sea will be solved after few years and you will not see any rubbish floating on the sea.

In addition, it is a pity that you have noticed a horrible smell coming from the sea. But the government has started the new sewage treatment works on Stonecutters Island since in 2001. It can deal with 70% of the untreated sewage. Thus, we suppose that the problem of untreated sewage will be improved.

Furthermore, the problem of red tide has not become more serious over the past few years. There were 16 sightings of red tide in 2000, while there were 43 sightings of red tide in 1988. Therefore, the problem of red tide has improved. Besides, the main cause of red tide is the changes in weather. It is common that the beaches may become too dirty and red tide after heavy rain. Thus, water pollution is not only the problem of red tide.

Moreover, the government has done a lot of things to tackle water pollution in Hong Kong. It is clear that there is too much toxic waste going into the sea around Hong Kong. However, the government expects the situation to improve when the new Chemical Waste Treatment Facility on Tsing Yi opens. Also, according to the law, polluters have to make sure that all toxic waste is treated before it is dumped. The government has been inspecting factories over the past few months to make sure that they do treat their waste. Besides, the Hong Kong Government and officials in Guangdong have agreed to work together to clean up the sea around Hong Kong over the next 20 years. Accordingly, we could see that the government has done a lot of things to tackle water pollution in Hong Kong.

All in all, we believe that the water pollution in Hong Kong will be improved, because the Hong Kong Government has done a lot of things to tackle water pollution in Hong Kong. If you have any further comments, you are most welcomed to write back.

Yours sincerely,

Chris