Updated water quality standards needed for Hong Kong's beaches, says DAB

A pro-establishment political party is calling for the government to update the water quality standard for bathing beaches, after a poll they conducted found some swimmers suffered from illness following contact with the water.

The Democratic Alliance for Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong criticised the government on Monday for being slow to amend current standards for beach water quality in the city, which uses a “backward” criteria from the 1980s.

The DAB claimed that although water quality had already been reviewed by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) in 2009, the government had not since taken any policy action to update the Water Quality Objective (WQO).

In a survey conducted by the party earlier this month, over a fifth of the 791 citizens polled had experienced discomfort or illness after swimming in public swimming pools, and around 13 per cent felt sick after swimming in beaches. DAB lawmaker Christopher Chung Shu-kun said the ailments could range from skin rashes to minor flu symptoms.

Citizens above 11 years of age were polled by phone over a one-week period starting July 30.

The party said its main area of concern is the levels of E. coli in freshwater beaches. Its presence in water is a strong indication of recent sewage or animal waste contamination, as it is present in large numbers inside the gastrointestinal tracts and excreta of all warm-blooded animals.

The current standard for E. coli levels in Hong Kong beach waters is 180 colonies per 100ml of water. The standard set by the United States Environmental Protection Agency is 126 colonies per 100ml.