It is no secret that away from the city centre the streets of Hong Kong are an unsavoury sight. Occasionally, there is a wave of protest about litter in the gutters and tattered plastic bags blowing about the roads, but the squalor is so much a part of the scene that it generally passes without remark.
Then something occurs which focuses attention on our living conditions and forces us to change our behaviour. The bird flu scare has already had an effect on the way poultry is handled before it reaches the market and the conditions it is kept in before being sold. But it becomes daily more evident that what is required here is not just stringent hygiene in the markets, but vastly improved standards of cleanliness in all public places.
It is very alarming to learn that the children of the Ap Lei Chau kindergarten, where the latest flu case was discovered, were allowed to play in a schoolyard scattered with bird flesh and feathers, rubbish and discarded syringes. But if the parents did not protest at the time, and staff made no effort to clean up the yard before allowing children in, that is probably because the rest of the estate is in much the same condition.
The area is rat-infested, the market is strewn with rotting vegetables, discarded food containers and plastic bottles, and in that respect it is the same as practically every other housing estate in Hong Kong. The level of tolerance for anti-social behaviour and unhealthy habits here is way above what should be acceptable, and directly contributes to the constant colds and viruses which rage through the community.
There are some aspects of pollution in Hong Kong which the public is powerless to change. Only the Government can take action against deteriorating air quality, now reaching such dangerous levels that we regularly have days like yesterday when the old and the sick are warned to stay indoors. But everyone can place litter in the bins provided. It should be a requirement in all markets for staff to clear the area and sweep the surrounding pavements before closing each night.
The Urban Council does a fine job planting trees and flowers to make our surroundings pleasant and deserves more thanks for its efforts. But if the public responded by also keeping the streets clean, we would be able to enjoy a much fitter community as well.
