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Author Archives: hksar gov

Grading of beach water quality released

     The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (April 24) released the latest grading of water quality for 38 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (i.e. Discovery Bay, see Note 2).

     Twenty-six beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 11 as Fair (Grade 2) and two as Poor (Grade 3).
 
Grade 1 beaches are:           

Big Wave Bay Beach Middle Bay Beach
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach Pui O Beach
Chung Hom Kok Beach Repulse Bay Beach
Clear Water Bay First Beach Shek O Beach
Clear Water Bay Second Beach Silver Mine Bay Beach
Deep Water Bay Beach Silverstrand Beach
Discovery Bay South Bay Beach
Hap Mun Bay Beach St Stephen’s Beach
Hung Shing Yeh Beach Stanley Main Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach Tong Fuk Beach
Kwun Yam Beach Trio Beach
Lo So Shing Beach Turtle Cove Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach Upper Cheung Sha Beach
 
Grade 2 beaches are:
Anglers’ Beach Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Approach Beach Kadoorie Beach
Cafeteria New Beach Lido Beach
Cafeteria Old Beach Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach
Casam Beach Ting Kau Beach
Golden Beach  
 
Grade 3 beaches are:
Butterfly Beach Castle Peak Beach

     Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water.  Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.

     A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend.  The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD’s website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666.

Note 1: To tie in with the response level under the Preparedness and Response Plan for Novel Infectious Disease of Public Health Significance having been raised to the Emergency Response Level and to encourage people to avoid gathering, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department has announced that all beaches will continue to be temporarily closed until further notice.
 
Note 2: Discovery Bay is a non-gazetted beach without lifeguard service. read more

East Asia

TD invites tenders for operation of six major licensed ferry services for outlying islands

     The Transport Department (TD) today (April 24) invites tenders for the operation of the six major licensed ferry services for outlying islands (the six major routes) (Tender Reference: TD 382/2019), including (i) Central-Cheung Chau, (ii) Inter-islands between Peng Chau, Mui Wo, Chi Ma Wan and Cheung Chau, (iii) Central-Mui Wo, (iv) Central-Peng Chau, (v) Central-Yung Shue Wan, and (vi) Central-Sok Kwu Wan routes.  
 
     The current licences of the six major routes, which lasted for 10 years in aggregate, will expire on March 31, 2021. The TD invites tenders for the operation of the six major routes for a five-year licence period commencing on April 1, 2021 (i.e. from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2026). 
 
     A TD spokesman said that for the purposes of maintaining the financial viability of the six major routes, alleviating the burden of fare increases on passengers, enhancing service quality and promoting the development of a green city, the Government would continue to provide Special Helping Measures to the six major routes; and launch a new Vessel Subsidy Scheme to assist the selected ferry operators to replace the fleets of the six major routes and introduce greener vessels in phases, straddling 10 years starting from 2021.
 
     Having regard to factors such as passenger demand, overall fleet requirements, flexibility in vessel deployment, operational efficiency, and after consulting the Islands District Council, the six major routes are grouped into two tender packages for tendering.
 
Package 1
Central-Cheung Chau, Inter-islands between Peng Chau, Mui Wo, Chi Ma Wan and Cheung Chau and Central-Mui Wo routes
 
Package 2
Central-Peng Chau, Central-Yung Shue Wan and Central-Sok Kwu Wan routes
 
     Tenderers are required to propose a fare for each fare type of each relevant route, but the proposed fare for each fare type must not exceed the existing fare level of the respective route by more than 5 per cent. Tenderers should also include in their submissions fare concession proposals which will be considered in the tender evaluation.
 
     “The opportunity is taken to enhance the level of services of the six major routes in the new five-year licence period. Tenderers’ proposals should observe our requirements to enhance the services through provision of additional sailings, extending service hours, etc, to meet passenger demand,” the spokesman said. 
 
     Moreover, in support of the Government’s development of a smart city, tenderers are required to submit proposed measures in the tender documents, including dissemination of real-time arrival/departure time of ferry routes and number of remaining seats via mobile phone applications and opening up such data in a machine-readable format for use by the public under the Public Sector Information Portal (data.gov.hk).
 
     Tenderers must submit their tenders in sealed envelopes. The cover of the tender submission should be clearly marked with the tender reference and the subject of the tender (but should not bear any indication which may relate to the identity of the tenderer). The tender submission should be addressed to the Commissioner for Transport and placed in the TD Tender Box situated next to the reception counter of the TD on 10th floor of South Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon, before noon on June 30, 2020.  Late tenders will not be accepted.
 
     Interested parties may obtain the tender documents starting from April 27 (Monday) during office hours at the Ferry and Paratransit Division of the TD on 14th Floor, South Tower, West Kowloon Government Offices, 11 Hoi Ting Road, Yau Ma Tei, Kowloon. read more

East Asia