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Written by: Lao Minyi
2020-08-24 00:00
Last update date: 2020-08-24 03:29The shooting activities of the Hong Kong Gun Association last year were revealed to have caused environmental disasters. The contaminated areas of lead particles, flying targets, and projectiles spread from the hillsides and water channels south of the meeting site to the Shing Mun Reservoir shallows 7 kilometers away. The gun club was charged with one count of placing a substance in a waterworks facility, and was eventually "technically exonerated" due to evidence collection problems by the Water Supplies Department.
Earlier, the reporter and environmental protection groups returned to the mountain behind the gun club and walked close to the border between the gun club and country parks. They also found orange pigeons all over the mountains, and there were also flying target fragments and plastic bullets near the drainage channels connecting the gun club and the back mountain; Looking closely at the depression on the muddy ground, a large amount of lead particles still accumulate. Zhu Hanqiang, director of the Green Earth Environmental Initiative, described the vision as "lead mountains" and "target broken ridges" and asked "you have the freedom to play with guns, but you do not have the freedom to damage the environment. You have the responsibility to prevent and clean up", and denounced the Lands Department for a long time. There is no regular supervision and inspection.
The Hong Kong Gun Club’s reply to "Hong Kong 01" only stated that all shooting activities have been halted since July 17 in accordance with the government’s request for gathering restrictions, denying that the shooting waste comes from the gun club.
Series report
Let the bullets fly | Lead shot targets are everywhere, and the gun club denies that it is related to shooting waste
Let the bullets fly | Gun Club 1,000 yuan lease land lease refers to the need to clean up pollutants, groups advocate the recovery of land
▼Hong Kong Gun Club pollution problem continues▼
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Gun Club charged with technical exoneration due to evidence search problem
Last year, the Hong Kong Gun Association was exposed to the sniper shooting activities. Lead bullets scattered on the hillside and fragments of the sniper fell into the water channel. The plastic bullets fell along the water channel into the Shing Mun Reservoir and shattered into micro-gels, contaminating the drinking water. The Hong Kong Gun Club was charged with one count of placing a substance in a waterworks facility, but the court ruled that the charges were not guilty due to evidence from the Water Supplies Department.
The magistrate described it as a "technical exoneration." It is believed that when the evidence is searched, the gun will be convicted.
For the first time, the ring group found a complete flying target on a hillside. (Photo by Huang Shuhui)
Shooting waste for many years, uncleared lead particles fell into the mud
Green Earth returned to the hillside where the Hong Kong Gun Club and Tai Lam Country Park overlapped (the buffer zone). When approaching the boundary, we found orange fragments of flying targets everywhere, some of which had fallen into the mud. It took about 15 minutes. With 20 complete flying targets and different shades of color, it is estimated that they fell into the hillside at different times, and no one has cleaned it for many years. Zhu Hanqiang said helplessly, "I thought it was a bright orange flower garden from a distance."
The reporter inspected the Green Earth last week. A hoarding was added to the waterway, but orange fragments were still seen in the water and along the mountain road. Walking up the hillside along the road, gray lead beads can be found everywhere. The mud and sand are mixed and thought to be ordinary sand and gravel at first glance, but these harmful heavy metals pose a threat to ecology and water safety, and they may also be eaten by animals. One year later, the pollution problem has not improved.
Questioned the lack of inspection and enforcement by the Lands Department
"You have the freedom to play with guns, but you do not have the freedom to damage the environment. You have the responsibility to prevent and clean up." Zhu Hanqiang questioned the fact that the Lands Department did not conduct regular supervision and inspections for years before allowing the gun club. He believes that these shooting wastes are like "rat droppings", which may not have an immediate impact on drinking water. However, "I know that there are problems, should we prevent them instead of holding hands behind them?" The Water Supplies Department also does not use public funds as polluters. "Wipe butt."
Reported last year:
[Let the Bullets Fly] The Gun Club Competition wins the first prize among the mountain hikers who pollute the Chengmen Reservoir with rubber particles and lead particles
[Let the bullets fly] The bullets of the gun will contain one hundred lead beads per round. The polluted soil and water are not properly treated.
Zhu Hanqiang discovered that there were still a large number of fragments of flying targets on the hillside near the Hong Kong Gun Club, criticizing "you have the freedom to play with guns, but you do not have the freedom to destroy the environment." (Photo by Huang Shuhui)
After Typhoon Signal No. 9 the pollution is ten times more serious
The tropical cyclone "Hygoss" struck Hong Kong last week, bringing Hong Kong's first Wave 9 this year. After the typhoon, Green Earth returned to the hillside last Friday (21st) and found that there were about 10 times more fragments of the flying target in the channel than before the wind disaster. Zhu Hanqiang discovered that there was a drain at the downhill position of the gun club’s "back door" (near the border of the gun club and the country park), which was connected to the water channel in the gun club. Lead particles and fragments of flying targets were also seen in the channel. Prevent falling into the water. Digging about half a foot deep into the ground covered by flying target fragments, mud began to appear.
He even found a large number of bullet rubber plugs for shotguns on the hillside, more than those found in Shing Mun Reservoir shoals last year, forming a "rubber plug mountain". When he stepped on it, his shoes were almost submerged by the bullets, which had accumulated for many years.
Water Supplies Department: Prosecution and recovery of charges if the permit is violated
The Water Supplies Department replied that it had requested the Hong Kong Gun Club to take appropriate measures to prevent shooting residues from falling into the catchment channel and catchment area. It also tried to install baffles at the edges of some catchwaters to prevent the residues from being washed into the catchment. The results are not as good as desired. The spokesman pointed out that regular inspections still found shooting remnants from time to time. In addition to arranging contractors to remove them, they are also seeking legal advice and learning from the previous prosecution experience to conduct more rigorous evidence searches. If there is evidence that someone has violated the Waterworks Facilities Ordinance and caused the water of the waterworks facility to be contaminated, legal actions will be taken against the relevant parties, including prosecution and recovery of related fees. If convicted, he can be fined at level 5 (ie up to HK$50,000) and imprisoned for 2 years.
The gun club submitted photos of clean shot residue twice this year, but did not give details
As for the management of shooting residues, the AFCD replied that the Hong Kong Gun Association stated in the beginning of this year that it would inspect the accumulation of shooting objects in the overlapped area every month and take appropriate follow-up actions based on needs and actual conditions. The Department has strongly recommended the Gun Association Regularly submit inspection and cleaning records of overlapping areas to relevant departments, and it is recommended to conduct a comprehensive cleaning at least once a quarter to prevent the accumulation of residues.
In June and August of this year, the AFCD received photos from the Gun Club for cleaning up the shooting residues, but did not provide details of the cleaning. During the recent regular inspections, the AFCD still found shooting residues in the overlapping areas. This has been repeated. The gun club is reminded to give details of the completed cleaning operations, such as the date, coverage, garbage collection or weight, etc. It is following up with the club to clean up the shooting residue, but has not received a response so far.
The Police Force also stated that if it is found that the shooting club did not comply with the conditions set out in the license issued by the police, the licensee must properly clean up and dispose of the used ammunition and its parts, or its operation is in violation of the Firearms and Ammunition Ordinance , The police will take appropriate action.
The Hong Kong Gun Association refuses to admit that it produces shooting waste
Although the Water Supplies Department and the Fisheries Conservation Department’s regular inspections, as well as the inspections by the ring team and reporters, found shooting residues, the Hong Kong Gun Association responded that in accordance with the government’s request for gathering restrictions, all shooting activities have been stopped since July 17. It denied that the shooting waste came from the gun club, and did not respond to whether a cleanup and prevention plan has been formulated.
Let the bullets fly | The gun club enjoys a thousand yuan rent involving violation of the land lease and not cleaning up the waste. The group advocates the resumption of the land
The gun was accused of shooting the rubber plug and falling into the waterway. The water inspector said that the debris fell from the sky during the evidence search.
[Let the Bullets Fly] The Gun Club Competition wins the first prize among the mountain hikers who pollute the Chengmen Reservoir with rubber particles and lead particles
[Let the bullets fly] The bullets of the gun will contain one hundred lead beads per round. The polluted soil and water are not properly treated.
Water Pollution Country Park Lands Department