August 7, 2017 by Elaine Yu Hong Kong comprises more than 200 islands with glittering bays, but there are increasing concerns about pollution and rubbish blighting its shores <\/p>\n
A clean-up operation was under way in Hong Kong Monday after a massive palm oil spillage from a ship collision in mainland Chinese waters clogged some of its most popular beaches. <\/p>\n
The coast was coated with rancid-smelling sticky white clumps of the oil as it washed in Sunday, with 11 beaches still closed to swimmers Monday at the height of a summer heatwave. <\/p>\n
There are still lumps of the solidified oil on the beaches and the sea water in some areas is greasy. <\/p>\n
Hong Kong comprises more than 200 islands with glittering bays, but there are increasing concerns about pollution and rubbish blighting its shores. <\/p>\n
On Pui O beach, on the island of Lantau, cleaners raked through the famous black sand, retrieving lumps of palm oil mixed with other trash, from plastic water bottles to children's toys. <\/p>\n
Although there is still a red flag up and the beach is officially closed, some people ventured into the water. <\/p>\n
One 61-year-old surfer, who gave his name as Simon and is a regular at the beach, said there was still oil in the sea. <\/p>\n
\"It got under my feet and on my board. It's all slippery,\" he told AFP. <\/p>\n
\"Yesterday there was big chunks along the beach and in the water.\" <\/p>\n
He added that there was often rubbish on the beach, often left by visitors. <\/p>\n
\"I live here now, I have to put up with it. I don't like it,\" said Simon, an airport worker originally from Hawaii. <\/p>\n
Beach announcements told determined swimmers at the closed beaches to get out of the water Monday. <\/p>\n
But Agnes Mercado, 49, a regular at secluded South Bay on Hong Kong Island, was determined to take her morning dip, although she said she would not submerge her upper body. <\/p>\n
\"Of course I'm worried about it, but it's even worse than this on some days,\" she said of the pollution. <\/p>\n
Environmental impact <\/p>\n
The four government departments involved with the oil spill have now recovered more than 50 tonnes of palm stearinsolid palm oilfrom beaches and surrounding waters, according to a statement issued late Monday. <\/p>\n
While the agriculture, fisheries and conservation department said no fish farmers have been affected by the spill so far, it said it was monitoring the impact on fisheries and marine ecology. <\/p>\n
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department said beach workers were using absorbent strips to prevent the spread of the oil, which it described as \"harmless to the human body\". <\/p>\n
But environmentalists still fear the potential impact and say the government has not done enough to contain the spillage. <\/p>\n
\"Whilst we may not see birds covered in black oil, palm oil is hazardous to wildlife in that it attracts bacteria,\" said Gary Stokes of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. <\/p>\n
Stokes added that the oil will dissolve and break down, which could also remove oxygen from the water and kill marine life. <\/p>\n
The leakage was caused by a collision between two vessels near the Pearl River estuary in southern China on Thursday, the marine department confirmed. <\/p>\n
It said it had sent nine vessels to clean up the palm oil lumps in waters off southwestern and southern Hong Kong. <\/p>\n
Authorities in neighbouring Guangdong province must give notification of oil spills, the department said. <\/p>\n
When asked why Hong Kong authorities had not been told of the spill until Saturday, the department said it was \"because those substances may flow into Hong Kong waters after two days\". <\/p>\n
Swathes of rubbish frequently clog the coastline with authorities and environmentalists pointing the finger at southern mainland China as the source. <\/p>\n
However, campaigners also say Hong Kong itself has a terrible track record on dumping of wastethe city's landfills are groaning at capacity and there is no widespread recycling culture. <\/p>\n
Explore further: Hong Kong takes aim at China for trash on beaches <\/p>\n
2017 AFP<\/p>\n
Hong Kong's leader blamed a huge rise in rubbish blighting the city's beaches on refuse washed ashore from the mainland, and pledged talks with Chinese authorities to stem the tide. <\/p>\n
With warm summer days at the beach on the minds of millions of winter-weary people, scientists are reporting that use of a new water quality test this year could prevent unnecessary beach closures while better protecting ... <\/p>\n
A 4-mile stretch of beach in south Los Angeles County was closed Thursday after tar balls washed ashorethe latest Southern California coastline to shut down due to oily goo, authorities said. <\/p>\n
A 7-mile stretch of Southern California coastline that was closed to swimmers and surfers after globs of oily goo washed ashore could reopen Friday after a two-day cleanup effort. <\/p>\n
Border Collies are effective at reducing gull congregation on recreational beaches, resulting in lower E. coli abundance in the sand. Researchers from Central Michigan University reported the findings at the annual meeting ... <\/p>\n
Crews scouring 7 miles of Southern California beaches had scooped up truckloads of mysterious oily goo Thursday and the area might be clean enough to reopen for the weekend, authorities said. <\/p>\n
While popular with conservation groups, coastal easements that prevent development in order to protect marshland from changes brought about by climate change and rising sea levels are not favored by property owners, according ... <\/p>\n
In a groundbreaking study released today, scientists at the South Coast Air Quality Management District and the University of Southern California have found that widespread installation of certain \"cool roof\" materials in ... <\/p>\n
A summer 'vortex' of cold air over the Karakoram mountain range is causing the glaciers in the region to grow in spite of global warming, scientists have shown. <\/p>\n
The report finds that hydraulic failure, which is the inability of a plant to move water from roots to leaves to be almost universally present when trees died, while carbon starvation was a contributing factor roughly half ... <\/p>\n
An abnormal season of intense glacial melt in 2002 triggered multiple distinct changes in the physical and biological characteristics of Antarctica's McMurdo Dry Valleys over the ensuing decade, new research led by the University ... <\/p>\n
Last week's record-setting heat in the Pacific Northwest and current triple-digit temperatures in Arizona are the latest reminders that climate change is heating up the Earth. This trend is a serious threat to cities, which ... <\/p>\n
Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Read more from the original source: <\/p>\n
Hong Kong cleans up greasy beaches after palm oil spill - Phys.Org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" August 7, 2017 by Elaine Yu Hong Kong comprises more than 200 islands with glittering bays, but there are increasing concerns about pollution and rubbish blighting its shores A clean-up operation was under way in Hong Kong Monday after a massive palm oil spillage from a ship collision in mainland Chinese waters clogged some of its most popular beaches. The coast was coated with rancid-smelling sticky white clumps of the oil as it washed in Sunday, with 11 beaches still closed to swimmers Monday at the height of a summer heatwave. Continue reading