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GEE5313 Buildings & Infrastructures Appreciation

HISTORY OF
INFRASTRUCTURE
DEVELOPMENT IN HK
 Infrastructures
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 Water supply
 Drainage system
 Sewerage system
 Highway & Mass transit
 New town development
3 Sewerage and Sewage Treatment
 Reference

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 Early Drain
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 In earlier years (1840s), a combined drainage and sewerage

system was adopted to wash away the sewage with rainwater.
 Potential health risks was found as population increase.
 Sir Chadwick’s suggestion – separate drainage and sewerage
systems.
 Government implemented the suggestion after 1900s.
 Plague
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 The bubonic plague attached HK

in 1894.
 Serious outbreak happened due to
over-crowded living condition and
busy business activities.
 It took around 30 years for the
plague to totally disappear in HK.
 The Government realised that it
must expedite the improvement
on the hygiene and sewage
problems.
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 Sewage Problems
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 Population in HK growth dramatically after 2nd World War.

 In 1950s, most sewage was discharged directly into rivers and
the sea, causing serious water pollution, rid tides and other
impacts on coastal ecology.
 Domestic sewage
 Pollution from factories
 Pollution from livestock farms
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 Legislation
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 In late 1960s, the Government conducted a territory-wide

investigation to study the water pollution problem.
 The Government established the Water Pollution Control
Ordinance in 1980s to regulate the disposal of wastewater
 Water Control Zones
 Water Quality Objectives (WQO) as benchmark
 Discharge License
 Sewage Strategy Study
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 Between 1988 & 1999, the Government conducted the

Sewage Strategy Study to develop long-term strategy for
collection, treatment and disposal of local sewage.
 Strategic Swage Disposal Scheme (or Harbour Area Treatment
Scheme / HATS)
 Aims at improving the water quality of Victoria harbour.
 Sewerage Master Plans (SMPs)
 Formulate specific regional SMPs.
 Aims to plan and construct sewage collection facilities.
 Establish suitable sewage treatment levels and disposal systems based on
the pollution characteristics.
 Sewerage Master Plans (SMP)
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 Sewage treatment services comprise of three components:

(1) collection, (2) treatment and (3) disposal.
 In 1989, HK is divided into 16 regions with tailor-made SMPs
in order to collect and convey the sewage from the regions to
the sewage treatment works for treatment.
 Each SMP made recommendations on the upgrading and extension
of sewers, pumping stations and wastewater treatment facilities.
 To ensure that the SMPs was able to cope with rapid changes,
Government re-grouped the 16 sewage catchments into 8
areas in 1995 and completed the SMP review studies.
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 Examples in Urban areas
• Completion of sewerage improvement
and sewage treatment and disposal
facilities in the Southern District in
2000.
• Construction of main sewers and new
pumping stations in Central, Wan Chai
East and North Point in late 1990s.

Construction difficulties
• Traditional open trench excavation
method for laying new sewers is highly
impractical.
• Trenchless methods are normally
adopted in practice.
• Drill and blast, tunnel-boring
machines, pipe-jacking, etc.

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 Sewage Treatment
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 Sewage Treatment Works
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 Major Sewage Treatment Works (STWs)

 Shek Wu Hui STW
 Yuen Long STW
 Tai Po STW
 Sha Tin STW
 Sai Kung STW
 Stanley STW
 Stonecutters Island STW
 Ngong Ping STW
 Stonecutters Island STW

Stanley STW

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Sha Tin STW
 Sewerage Master Plans
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 Settlements in the New Territories

are relatively scattered and the use
of public sewerage systems may
not be possible.
 Local treatment was carried but
this only provide treatment with
minimum standards.
 DSD launched the Village Sewerage
Programme to extend the public
sewerage network to the vicinity of
private land to facilitate connection
between private and public sewers.
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 SSDS / Harbour Area Treatment Scheme
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 In 1992, the construction of the Strategic Sewage Disposal

Scheme (SSDS), which is renamed Harbour Area Treatment
Scheme [HATS] in 2001) was started.
 The main objective was to
1. construct a centralised system to collect all sewage from the vast
catchments around the Victoria Harbour and
2. convey it to a new sewage treatment plant at Stonecutters Island
for treatment.
 Original plan for SSDS or HATS

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 Benefits of HATS
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 Stop sewage from directly discharging into Victoria Harbour & South-
western parts of HK Island by means of proper collection and treatment.
 Improve water quality
 Maintain healthy marine environment whilst meeting future development
needs.
 Resume cross-harbour swimming race since 2011
 Harbour Area Treatment Scheme – Stage 1
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 HATS Stage 1 (1994 - 2001)

involves
1. Construction of a 23.6 km
sewage tunnel network.
2. Upgrading of 7 Preliminary
Treatment Works (PTW) in
Kowloon and Eastern part of
HK Island.
3. Construction of Stonecutters
Island Sewage Treatment
Works (SCISTW).
4. Construction of a 1.7 km long
outfall tunnel and diffuser
pipeline in the southwest of
Stonecutters Island.
 Harbour Area Treatment Scheme – Stage 2A
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 HATS Stage 2A (2009 - 2015)

1. Upgrading of eight existing Preliminary Treatment Works (PTWs) at North
Point, Wan Chai East, Central, Sandy Bay, Cyberport, Aberdeen, Wah Fu and
Ap Lei Chau.
2. Upgrading of the existing chemically enhanced primary treatment capacity
of Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works (SCISTW).
3. Construction of around 21 km long deep sewage tunnel to collect and
transfer sewage from the eight PTWs to SCISTW for treatment.

HATS Stage 2B aims

to add biological
treatment
 Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works
(SCISTW)

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 Highlight of the project

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