Grading of beach water quality released

Epd releases latest beach water quality ratings: 15 beaches rated good, 13 fair, and 12 poor - check the grades before heading to the beach!

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (June 28) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (see Note 2).

Fifteen beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1), 13 as Fair (Grade 2), and 12 as Poor (Grade 3).

Grade 1 beaches are:

Chung Hom Kok Beach

Middle Bay Beach

Deep Water Bay Beach*

Repulse Bay Beach*

Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach

South Bay Beach*

Hap Mun Bay Beach*

St. Stephen's Beach

Hung Shing Yeh Beach*

Tong Fuk Beach

Kiu Tsui Beach

Trio Beach

Kwun Yam Beach

Turtle Cove Beach

Lo So Shing Beach

Grade 2 beaches are:

Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach*

Shek O Beach*

Clear Water Bay First Beach

Silver Mine Bay Beach*

Clear Water Bay Second Beach*

Silverstrand Beach*

Kadoorie Beach

Stanley Main Beach*

Lower Cheung Sha Beach

Tai Po Lung Mei Beach*

Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach*

Upper Cheung Sha Beach

Pui O Beach*

Grade 3 beaches are:

Anglers' Beach*

Casam Beach*

Approach Beach

Castle Peak Beach

Big Wave Bay Beach*

Golden Beach*

Butterfly Beach*

Hoi Mei Wan Beach

Cafeteria New Beach

Lido Beach*

Cafeteria Old Beach

Ting Kau Beach*

Compared with the grading released last week, Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1. Anglers' Beach, Cafeteria New Beach, Casam Beach, Golden Beach, Hoi Mei Wan Beach and Lido Beach have been changed from Grade 2 to Grade 3.

"The changes are generally within the normal range of fluctuation of the bacteriological water quality of the beaches," an EPD spokesman said.

Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.

While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, the EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.

A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD's website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666. Members of the public can also obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches that are open for swimming through the Beach Water Quality Forecast mobile application (available for download from: www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQApp) or the dedicated beach water quality forecast page (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast) on the EPD's beach thematic website.

Note 1: Lifesaving services are provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 21 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk (*) above, from June 1. Due to the damage caused to the footpaths leading to Chung Hom Kok Beach by landslides, the beach is temporarily closed until further notice. For details, please refer to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department's Special Announcement (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/beach/index.html).

Note 2: This refers to Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach which is a non-gazetted beach that has no lifesaving service.

Source: AI-generated images

2024 honours list and justices of the peace (jps) appointments revealed in government gazette - 502 honours awards and 59 jp appointments announced today.

The 2024 Honours List and Justices of the Peace (JPs) appointments are published in the Government Gazette today (July 1).

For the Honours List, a total of 502 persons have been awarded by the Chief Executive this year. Details are as follows:

Award

Number

(a) Grand Bauhinia Medal (GBM)

5

(b) Gold Bauhinia Star (GBS)

12

(c) Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS)

24

(d) Distinguished Service Medals for the disciplined services and the ICAC

14

(e) Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS)

40

(f) Meritorious Service Medals for the disciplined services and the ICAC

46

(g) Medal of Honour (MH)

105

(h) Chief Executive's Commendation for Community Service

86

(i) Chief Executive's Commendation for Government/Public Service

170

502

The citations of the award recipients of the 2024 Honours List are provided in Appendix 1.

A Government spokesman said, "The award recipients come from different walks of life with diverse backgrounds. They have made significant contributions to Hong Kong, benefitting various domains and sectors of the community, including public and community service, education, medical and public health, finance, trade and industry, innovation and technology, charity, arts and culture, sports, housing, transport, construction and urban development, environment, religion, labour and welfare, women and youth affairs, and professional services. The Chief Executive expresses gratitude and extends congratulations to all award recipients, and hopes that they will continue to excel in their own fields and serve the community."

The presentation ceremony for the awards will be held later this year.

Moreover, a total of 59 persons have been appointed as JPs by the Chief Executive, of whom 42 were appointed under section 3(1)(b) of the Justices of the Peace Ordinance (Cap. 510) (commonly referred to as Non-official JPs), and 17 were appointed under section 3(1)(a) of the same ordinance (commonly referred to as Official JPs).

The main function of JPs is to visit correctional institutions, detention centres or other institutions to ensure their effective management and that no individual is unfairly treated or deprived of his or her rights. JPs will ensure that complaints lodged by individuals are handled in a fair and transparent manner.

The name list of JPs appointed under section 3(1)(b) and section 3(1)(a) of the Justices of the Peace Ordinance is provided in Appendix 2.

Source: AI-generated images