Marine Water- Our Valuable Resource

Hong Kong is a thriving port with a population of nearly 7 million people. It relies heavily on the sea for navigation, recreation, seafood production, and supply of flushing and cooling water. The sea surrounding us is also the home of diverse forms of marine life ranging from microscopic algae to dolphins. Hong Kong is fully committed to protecting its marine environment.

The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) of the Hong Kong SAR Government monitors the water quality of some 1,700 sq km of the territory's marine waters. The monitoring programme serves the following purposes:

• indicate the state of health of marine waters;
• assess compliance with the statutory Water Quality Objectives (WQOs);
• reveal long-term changes in water quality;
• provide a basis for the planning of pollution control strategies.