Thick sludge floating down Hong Kong river sparks illegal waste investigation

Drainage officials are investigating suspected illegal waste water discharge along the banks of Sha Tin's Shing Mun River - once notorious for its foul odour.

A thick, orange-brown sludge was seen seeping out of a storm drainage outlet outside the Hong Kong Heritage Museum and floating several metres downriver on Wednesday afternoon, shocking local residents. Environment officials suspect it was muddy water released from nearby construction sites.

"There are dead fish on a weekly basis and seeing small pockets of oil slicks in the water is nothing new to us, but I have never seen anything like this," said Lara Terzian, who lives at The Riverpark estate just across from the museum. "My children saw it first and we were horrified."

Terzian described the substance as a "slow-moving muck", which drifted slowly out towards Tolo Harbour. The sludge had disappeared by evening. "What's concerning is that people regularly fish from the nearby bridge," she said.

The Drainage Services Department said it had sent staff to inspect the site and suspected it could involve illegal discharge of effluent. "We have contacted the Environmental Protection Department and are now investigating," a spokesman said. 

An EPD spokeswoman confirmed the department had received the report and had dispatched a team to the site yesterday, but the “coloured water” could not be found.