Relief in sight for walkers

Hiking recently down the glorious valley from Wu Kau Tong to Ngau Shi Wu, I met a bunch of teenagers. Fashionably dressed and carrying backpacks large enough to supply a months-long caravan trip across the Gobi Desert, they were standing about going nowhere.

I stopped to chat. Soon three girls emerged from the undergrowth where they had been taking a toilet break. This can be a considerable logistical challenge for city youngsters without outdoor experience; there's a fear of spiders, just for a start.

It can also be offensive for other park users if natural functions are not carried out with effective waste disposal. It's common courtesy to go off the path, find a discrete spot and either kick dirt over what you deposit or cover it with leaves or rocks.

It's a problem many neophyte park walkers don't consider. A couple of months ago, down a side track along the coast of Sai Kung, my wife and I turned a corner to be confronted by a man squatting urgently on the side of the path. 'Sorry,' he grunted as we passed.

A few years ago, I lodged furious complaints with country parks, health authorities, police and anyone else I could think of after stumbling along a track near Ma On Shan which a large movie crew had turned into an open latrine. One expects this from dogs, not human beings.

The issue of toilet facilities in rural areas is now under scrutiny. The gushing sound of flushing toilets will soon add to the natural chorus of nature in country parks.

At a cost of $93 million, the Food and Environmental Health Department is going to help hill walkers spend a penny in a far more comfortable and hygienic manner. And a good thing, too.