THE Environmental Protection Department (EPD) is investigating a possible flow of mud contaminated with heavy metals into Hong Kong waters off Sha Chau during Typhoon Koryn in June.
The EPD said in a brief statement that investigations being carried out in Hong Kong and the Netherlands, where samples of the mud have been sent for analysis, would determine if the mud was contaminated.
Barges laden with contaminated mud from reclamation sites regularly dump their loads into a special pit dug into the sea bed east of Sha Chau.
According to the EPD, there was a report made after Typhoon Koryn that contaminated mud had been found near the mud pit at East Sha Chau.
''As the investigation is in progress, it is not possible to say at this stage whether mud has escaped from the pit, [whether] there has been a case of illegal or short dumping, or if there was nothing wrong at all,'' said the EPD.
The World Wide Fund for Nature said it was concerned about the potential for contaminated mud to flow from the two pits east of Sha Chau during typhoons and called on the EPD to make its findings public.
The EPD said the results would be available at the end of September.