What we still don’t know about the oil spill affecting Hong Kong beaches
Potential for harm to the waters and animals still remains after Thursday’s spill
Several government departments have worked together with volunteers to clean up congealed lumps of palm oil that washed up on the beaches, but questions such as how the incident happened and who should be responsible have gone unanswered.
Here’s what you need to know about the oil spill and how the city tackles water pollution.
Five vital facts:
● Two vessels collided “a few tens of miles” southwest of Hong Kong in the Pearl River estuary last Thursday
● 1,000 out of 9,000 tonnes of palm oil from a cargo ship spilled into mainland Chinese waters and spread to Hong Kong. Only 93 tonnes have been picked up so far. About 200 tonnes were estimated have coated the city’s beaches
● A total of 13 beaches have been closed. Marine parks have not yet been affected but authorities earlier said a small amount of the pollutants were found in the Cape D’Aguilar Marine Reserve
