Whitfield Road has topped one political party’s annual list of the 10 dirtiest streets in Wan Chai.
The Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) surveyed 332 residents about sanitation in the district in July. Local DAB councillors Jennifer Chow Kit-bing and Jacqueline Chung Ka-man announced the results in a press conference on Monday.
Over 100 residents said that Whitfield Road was the dirtiest, citing foul odors and waste left behind by the street’s many restaurants.
On Lok Lane, which is littered with construction waste and bamboo scaffolding, came in second, followed by the intersection between Wood Road and Cross Street, where styrofoam boxes are often piled up next to garbage cans.
Other spots on the list were Bowington Road, Wan Chai Road, Canal Road West, Stewart Road, Hennessy Road, Lockhart Road and Jupiter Street.
Another problem, Chow said, is that many of the area’s alleyways are private, which means the government can’t clean them up. She pointed to one street where she said motorcycles have been abandoned for several years, as an example.
“We’ve called on the government many times to clear the motorcycles,” she said. “But these motorcycles will never be removed. Because the government says this is private property.”
The DAB is calling on Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to increase patrols, Apple Daily reports. “We hope we will see changes the next time we conduct this survey,” Chow said on Sunday.
Wan Chai ranked fourth in 18 districts for the highest rate of rodent infestations last year, according to FEHD.
On Monday, the councillors also noted improvements on four streets named on last year’s list, including Hysan Avenue and Johnston Road.
Although more than 70 percent of survey respondents told the DAB they believe that sanitation in Wan Chai has improved, most of them said that more needs to be done to address excessive garbage in the streets.
