"Cherish Water Campus" Award Ceremony concludes
The Water Supplies Department (WSD) today (December 18) held the "Cherish Water Campus" Award Ceremony for the 2024/25 school year to present over 240 awards to recognise the active efforts of school sponsoring bodies, principals, teachers, and students in fostering a water-saving culture on campus. Prize presenters at the ceremony included the Director of Water Supplies, Mr Roger Wong; Principal Education Officer of the Education Bureau Mr Paul Lee; the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Water Supplies, Professor Joseph Kwan; and the Chairperson of the Subsidised Primary School Council, Dr Cheung Chok-fong.
The "Cherish Water Campus" Integrated Education Programme continued to receive support from the education sector this school year since it was rolled out in 2015. The programme has gradually expanded its coverage from primary schools to kindergartens, with over 450 primary schools and 490 kindergartens participating across Hong Kong to date. In recent years, the WSD has been organising more parent-child activities and competitions to further extend "cherish water" education to families.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr Wong said that extreme weather events have increasingly become frequent in recent years, and changes in rainfall patterns have led to an unstable amount of gathered water, affecting the reliability of water supply. Faced with global climate change, the threat of water scarcity is imminent. Therefore, he encouraged students to develop water-saving habits from childhood and cherish every drop.
In addition to public education, the WSD has been promoting water conservation through various programmes. The "Water-smart Taskforce" Programme, launched earlier this year, installs smart devices on the water meters of selected high-water-consuming customers to identify the causes of high water usage and provide suggestions, thereby assisting them in saving water. The WSD previously held a parent-child four-panel comic strip creation competition themed "Water-smart Taskforce", and the awards were also presented at today's ceremony.
The WSD will continue to promote water conservation to the public through various channels, with a focus on the younger generation. The "Cherish Water Campus" Integrated Education Programme uses a series of interactive teaching resources to enable students to understand the preciousness of water resources, inspire their thinking on water conservation and cherishing, and develop good water-using habits.
The award list of Cherish Water Campus and a full list of awardees for the "Water-smart Taskforce"Kindergarten Parent-child 4-Panel Comic Drawing Competition and Primary School Parent-child 4-Panel Comic Drawing Competition are available on the WSD website.
"Cherish Water Campus" Award Ceremony concludes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
"Cherish Water Campus" Award Ceremony concludes Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Update on chikungunya fever
The Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health announced that, as of 5pm today (December 18), no new cases of chikungunya fever (CF) had been recorded. Hong Kong has recorded a total of 81 confirmed CF cases this year. Among them, 11 were local cases, and the rest were imported cases.
Government's comprehensive follow-up actions
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Given that some local cases of CF have visited the Tsing Yi Nature Trails or the surrounding area, the trails are currently closed until further notice. As the CHP and relevant government departments are conducting large-scale mosquito control and prevention efforts along the trails recently, the CHP continues to appeal to the public not to enter the area in order to reduce the risk of contracting CF and to avoid exposure to chemicals or interfering with the mosquito control operations.
The CHP continues to urge individuals who have recently hiked along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails to seek medical attention as soon as possible if they develop relevant symptoms and to call the enquiry hotline (Tel: 2125 2373), which operates from 9am to 6pm. All doctors and hospitals in Hong Kong should closely monitor whether their patients present with compatible symptoms and arrange blood tests for those concerned. The CHP's Public Health Laboratory Services Branch will provide free testing services.
Specifically targeting confirmed cases who visited the Tsing Yi Nature Trails or the surrounding area, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) has been continuously conducting intensive fogging operations to eliminate adult mosquitoes along the hiking trails. At suitable locations, large ultra-low volume foggers have been deployed, and a robot dog is being put on trial to enhance operational effectiveness. The FEHD has also set up new mosquito trapping devices, cleared discarded containers and garbage that could cause stagnant water, and applied larvicide oil or larvicides in areas with stagnant water that cannot be removed immediately. The FEHD has been collaborating with the Kwai Tsing District Office, the Lands Department and the Drainage Services Department to strengthen efforts in eliminating potential mosquito breeding sites along the Tsing Yi Nature Trails. Pamphlets have been distributed to hikers in the area, urging citizens to be vigilant against mosquito infestations and take personal protective measures. The FEHD also held meetings of the interdepartmental task forces on anti-mosquito work across districts, to discuss the latest developments regarding the situation and plan accordingly to co-ordinate relevant departments and stakeholders in strengthening mosquito prevention and control measures in areas under their purview.
Continuously strengthening prevention and control
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TheFEHDand relevant departments have comprehensively enhanced the mosquito control operations in Hong Kong since July this year, and this has continued. Among these, the FEHD has conducted vector investigations and targeted mosquito control operations against the imported and local cases. In light of the local case, the FEHD has immediately conducted follow-up actions, including:
carrying out intensive fogging in scrubby areas within a 250-metre radius of the relevant locations to kill adult mosquitoes;
carrying out inspections of the locations, removing stagnant water, applying insecticides and disposing of abandoned water containers every week with a view to preventing mosquito breeding; and
enhancing public education efforts through organising health talks, setting up mobile education stations, and distributing publicity leaflets.
The abovementioned measures will be continued. Furthermore, the Government will further enhance the mosquito control efforts in addition to the existing measures.
Preventive measures taken by the public
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Members of the public should use DEET-containing insect repellents or other effective active ingredients properly to prevent mosquito bites, but the following precautions should be taken when using them:
read the label instructions carefully first;
apply right before entering an area with a risk of mosquito bites;
apply on exposed skin and clothing;
use DEET of up to 30 per cent for pregnant women and up to 10 per cent for children (For children who travel to countries or areas where mosquito-borne diseases are endemic or epidemic and where exposure is likely, those aged 2 months or above can use DEET-containing insect repellents with a DEET concentration of up to 30 per cent);
apply sunscreen first, then insect repellent;
reapply only when needed and follow the instructions; and
in addition to DEET, there are other insect repellents available on the market containing different active ingredients, such as IR3535 and picaridin. When using any insect repellent, the public should follow the usage instructions and precautions on the product label.
The FEHD also appeals to members of the public to continue to stay alert and work together to carry out mosquito prevention and control measures early, including inspecting their homes and surroundings to remove potential breeding grounds, changing water in vases and scrubbing their inner surfaces, removing water in saucers under potted plants at least once a week, and properly disposing of containers such as empty cans and lunch boxes. The FEHD also advises members of the public and property management agencies to keep drains free of blockage and level all defective ground surfaces to prevent the accumulation of water. They should also scrub all drains and surface sewers with an alkaline detergent at least once a week to remove any mosquito eggs.
The public should call 1823 in case of mosquito problems, and may visit the following pages for more information: the CF page of theCHPand theTravel Health Service, the latestTravel Health News,tips for using insect repellents, and the CHPFacebook Page,Instagram AccountandYouTube Channel, and also theMosquito Prevention and Control dedicated pageof the FEHD.
Source: AI-found images
