The Shing Mun River tributary in Fo Tan turned bright blue on Sunday.
This is the second time the river has been in the headlines this month. Earlier in December, a large quantity of dead fish washed up on the banks of a tributary near Tai Wai.
According to Apple Daily (translated by HKFP), some residents are concerned that the fish massacre and violent colour change could be caused by illegal discharge of industrial waste, given the tributary’s proximity to the Fo Tan industrial zone.
One student, surnamed Chan, complained about the river’s pong to Apple Daily. She added that the water had turned purple and green in the past.
Sha Tin District Councillor Scarlett Pong (no relation to the river pong) claimed to have found more dead fish on inspection of the river on Sunday. The government says it’s simply saltwater fish that can’t survive in fresh water (funny kind of “fresh”), but Pong fears that the water quality may have been affected by the accumulation of sludge on the river bed.
Cheng Luk-ki, Green Power’s head of scientific research and conservation, suggested that the dumping of dye or pigment into river or rainwater drainage system could have caused the colour change.
According to Tsang Yiu-fai, an Assistant Professor of the Department of Science and Environmental Studies at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, however, since the commercialisation of the area there are barely any factories that could cause such pollution.
A spokesperson of the Environmental Protection Department confirmed that water samples had been gathered for testing, whilst the Drainage Services Department claimed to have sent officers to investigate the situation.
The cause of the fishy colour change remains a mystery for now…
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