Sheung Shui villagers in illegal dumping row told to clean it up

Landowners in Sheung Shui will receive notices today demanding they clean up construction waste dumped on their farmland if they had authorised the dumping. However, the village representative is urging them to clean up the mess whether or not they gave their authorisation.

A government source said yesterday that evidence suggested some landowners had given their consent before trucks unloaded the waste on their farmland in Ho Sheung Heung, breaching land-use rules.

Owners, or any other responsible parties, must clean up the refuse within 30 days, according to the notice. Villagers who do not own the land they are farming should contact their landlords.

Several plots at Ho Sheung Heung have been covered with waste such as concrete and plastic since the dumping began in May. After villagers complained to the government, a 43-year-old developer surnamed Man was arrested for criminal damage. He has been released on bail.

The undersecretary for the environment, Kitty Poon Kit, says landowners who did not authorise the dumping on their land should notify the government.

But Hau Chi-keung, village representative of Ho Sheung Keung, said after meeting officials that landowners would clean up the mess if the culprit was not found by Sunday.