Dump 'would turn heavenly trail into hell'

A popular country trail will become 'the demarcation between heaven and hell' if government plans to grab a chunk of a country park for a rubbish dump go ahead, a leading conservationist said yesterday.

Conservancy Association chairwoman Betty Ho Siu-fong - who is also a non-official member of the Country and Marine Parks Board which is examining the plan - acknowledged that the section of the Clear Water Bay park being eyed for landfill had a low ecological value.

But she said it had high scenic value as the High Junk Peak Country Trail borders the proposed landfill area.

Ms Ho was joined by another non-official member of the parks board yesterday in expressing their reservations about the plan to extend the Tseung Kwan O landfill tip into 1.5 hectares of the adjacent park.

The board advises the Environmental Protection Department about country parks and special areas. Membership of the board is split between government officials and the public.

'It did occur to [the board] at the last meeting that those walking along the country trail will have on one side the beautiful scenery of Sai Kung Country Park and on the other side a view of the landfill,' Ms Ho said. 'The trail would become the demarcation between heaven and hell.'

Ms Ho also criticised the government for relying too heavily on landfills to deal with the city's growing pile of rubbish.