Hong Kong Economic Journal Breaking News - Current Affairs Pulse - New Territories West Landfill suspected of leaking garbage leachate; Environmental Protection Department says no significant impact on ecology - Hong Kong Economic Journal website hkej.com

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has expressed suspicion that leachate at the West New Territories Landfill may be seeping and leaking. An EPD spokesman said that most of the leaked leachate has already been intercepted by turbidity curtains permanently installed at the stormwater outlets, so the amount of leachate seeping into the large pond is limited.

At around 2:30 pm today, the EPD discovered suspected leachate leakage at one of the stormwater outlets in the West New Territories Landfill. The stormwater outlet is connected to the large pond alongside the landfill. Based on the current assessment, most of the leaked leachate has been intercepted by the turbidity curtains permanently installed at the stormwater outlets, so the amount of leachate seeping into the large pond is limited.

The EPD has collected water samples from the affected location for testing. The preliminary investigation found that the dissolved oxygen and pH levels in the water samples are normal, and there is no indication that the water quality and ecology of the large pond and Deep Bay have been significantly affected. The EPD will also work together with the landfill contractor to investigate the cause of the incident, so as to take further source interception measures.

In addition, the contractor for the West New Territories Landfill has taken a series of follow-up actions, including arranging tanker trucks to remove the leaked refuse leachate from the stormwater outlets and the large pond; diverting the water upstream of the stormwater outlets to block the water source entering the outlets; and arranging additional measures, including stockpiling sandbags and installing additional turbidity curtains, to further intercept the suspected refuse leachate seeping out.