Epd releases latest beach water quality grading: 15 good, 15 fair, 10 poor beaches identified; updates on grade changes and bacteriological quality monitoring
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (July 5) 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), 15 as Fair (Grade 2), and 10 as Poor (Grade 3).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Chung Hom Kok Beach
Lo So Shing Beach
Clear Water Bay Second 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*
Trio Beach
Kiu Tsui Beach
Turtle Cove Beach
Kwun Yam Beach
Grade 2 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach*
Pui O Beach*
Cafeteria New Beach
Shek O Beach*
Casam Beach*
Silverstrand Beach*
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach*
Stanley Main Beach*
Clear Water Bay First Beach
Tai Po Lung Mei Beach*
Hoi Mei Wan Beach
Tong Fuk Beach
Lower Cheung Sha Beach
Upper Cheung Sha Beach
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach*
Grade 3 beaches are:
Anglers' Beach*
Golden Beach*
Approach Beach
Kadoorie Beach
Butterfly Beach*
Lido Beach*
Cafeteria Old Beach
Silver Mine Bay Beach*
Castle Peak Beach
Ting Kau Beach*
Compared with the grading released last week, Clear Water Bay Second Beach has been upgraded from Grade 2 to Grade 1, and Big Wave Bay Beach, Cafeteria New Beach, Casam Beach and Hoi Mei Wan Beach from Grade 3 to Grade 2. Tong Fuk Beach has been changed from Grade 1 to Grade 2, and Kadoorie Beach and Silver Mine Bay Beach 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
Iam smart mobile app launches new functions for easier registration and enhanced user experience, simplifying upgrade to iam smart+ account with nfc technology
The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) announced today (July 8) that new functions will be launched in the "iAM Smart" mobile app to simplify the registration process and enhance the user experience.
To further enable members of the public to register for and upgrade to the "iAM Smart+" account that provides a digital signing function, the OGCIO will launch the new version (3.5.0) of the "iAM Smart" mobile app on July 11. With mobile phones supporting the Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, members of the public can upgrade to this new version to read the card face data from the new smart identity (ID) card chip and easily register for or upgrade to "iAM Smart+" via the "iAM Smart" mobile app on their own, without the need to visit self-registration kiosks or service counters in person. The new registration process only requires a single shot of the ID card, instead of shooting the ID card from multiple angles.
Members of the public who have not registered for "iAM Smart" can directly register for an "iAM Smart+" account by downloading and using the new version of the "iAM Smart" mobile app. To enable the existing "iAM Smart" users to upgrade to "iAM Smart+" by themselves, the OGCIO will gradually issue a push notification inviting them to "Upgrade to iAM Smart+" through the new version of the "iAM Smart" mobile app (Photo 1). Existing "iAM Smart+" users need not register again. Members of the public can refer to the attached photo to know whether they are "iAM Smart" or "iAM Smart+" users (Photo 2).
It is very simple to register for or upgrade to "iAM Smart+" with the new version of the "iAM Smart" mobile app. The procedures include a single shot of the front of the new smart ID card and placing it near the NFC antenna of the mobile phone, followed by facial recognition to verify the identity. The mobile phone concerned must be using iOS 14.0/Android 12.0 or above. For details, please refer to the attachment. The information is also available on the "iAM Smart" thematic website (www.iamsmart.gov.hk/en/media-info.html?i=207#tabs-3). Meanwhile, members of the public can still register for or upgrade to "iAM Smart+" at more than 50 self-registration kiosks located across various districts, registration service counters of any post office or via the mobile registration services.
A spokesman of the OGCIO stressed, "The existing legal requirements and system security design only allow the government-authorised 'iAM Smart' system to read only the card face data from the smart ID card chip through the 'iAM Smart' mobile app as initiated by the citizen. The user registration procedures have been significantly simplified, as multi-level data verification and secured encryption technologies are adopted throughout the process to ensure the identity of the registrant is verified in a secure, reliable and accurate manner. The entire process fully complies with relevant ordinances, as well as requirements for information security and protection of personal data privacy."
"The invitation for 'Upgrade to iAM Smart+' or push notifications will only be sent through the 'iAM Smart' system. The entire 'iAM Smart+' registration or upgrade process will only be conducted within the 'iAM Smart' mobile app. Members of the public should stay vigilant to suspicious phone calls, SMS, emails, etc, claiming to assist with registering for or upgrading to 'iAM Smart+'. They shall not provide personal information to scammers or click on suspicious links directly from SMS or emails," the OGCIO spokesman added.
Since its launch in late 2020, the "iAM Smart" one-stop personalised digital services platform has already accumulated over 2.7 million registrations and provided over 380 government, public and private online services with an average of over 100000 logins per day. The OGCIO will introduce more new functions to further enhance the user experience and simplify the operation workflow, with the goal of fully adopting the "iAM Smart" platform to provide one-stop digital services and realising a "single portal for online government services" by 2025.
Members of the public can download and use the latest version of the "iAM Smart" mobile app for free from the "iAM Smart" thematic website at www.iamsmart.gov.hk/en/download.html or Apple App Store, Google Play and Huawei AppGallery.
"iAM Smart" registration process simplified Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
"iAM Smart" registration process simplified Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
