Grading of beach water quality released
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) today (April 17) released the latest grading of water quality for 39 gazetted beaches (see Note 1) and one non-gazetted beach (see Note 2).
Thirty-one beaches were rated as Good (Grade 1) and nine as Fair (Grade 2).
Grade 1 beaches are:
Big Wave Bay Beach* |
Lo So Shing Beach |
Butterfly Beach* |
Lower Cheung Sha Beach |
Cafeteria New Beach |
Middle Bay Beach |
Cafeteria Old Beach |
Pui O Beach* |
Cheung Chau Tung Wan Beach* |
Repulse Bay Beach* |
Chung Hom Kok Beach |
Shek O Beach* |
Clear Water Bay First Beach |
Silver Mine Bay Beach* |
Clear Water Bay Second Beach* |
South Bay Beach* |
Deep Water Bay Beach* |
St. Stephen's Beach |
Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach [Non-gazetted beach] |
Stanley Main Beach* |
Golden Beach* |
Tai Po Lung Mei Beach* |
Hap Mun Bay Beach* |
Tong Fuk Beach |
Hung Shing Yeh Beach* |
Trio Beach |
Kadoorie Beach* |
Turtle Cove Beach |
Kiu Tsui Beach |
Upper Cheung Sha Beach |
Kwun Yam Beach |
Grade 2 beaches are:
Anglers' Beach* |
Lido Beach* |
Approach Beach |
Ma Wan Tung Wan Beach* |
Casam Beach* |
Silverstrand Beach* |
Castle Peak Beach |
Ting Kau Beach* |
Hoi Mei Wan Beach |
Compared with the grading released last week, there was no change in the grading for these beaches.
Under the present grading system, beaches are classified into four grades, namely Good (Grade 1), Fair (Grade 2), Poor (Grade 3) and Very Poor (Grade 4), according to the level of E. coli in the water. Grades are calculated on the basis of the geometric mean of the E. coli counts on the five most recent sampling occasions.
While the ratings represent the general water quality at the beaches, an EPD spokesman reminded members of the public that water quality could be temporarily affected during and after periods of heavy rain. Bathers should avoid swimming at beaches for up to three days after a tropical cyclone or heavy rainfall.
A summary of beach grades is published weekly before the weekend. The latest beach grades based on the most current data may be obtained from the EPD's website on Beach Water Quality (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/beach) or the beach hotline, 2511 6666. Members of the public can also obtain the latest daily water quality forecast information for all beaches that are open for swimming through the EPD's dedicated webpage on the beach water quality forecast (www.epd.gov.hk/en/BWQForecast).
Note 1: Lifesaving services are provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department at 22 gazetted beaches, marked with an asterisk (*) above, from April 1. For details, please refer to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department's Special Announcement (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/beach/index.html).
Note 2: This refers to Discovery Bay Tai Pak Beach which has no lifesaving service.
Source: AI-found images
DH's organised and subvented Chinese medicine acupuncture for smoking cessation techniques wins national award and training workshop makes relevant techniques accessible to more people
To safeguard public health, the Government has long strived to reduce the smoking prevalence in Hong Kong through a multipronged approach. Apart from legislation, law enforcement, taxation and health education, promoting smoking cessation services is of utmost importance. The Department of Health (DH) today (April 17) stated that the Chinese medicine (CM) smoking cessation techniques organised and subvented by the DH recently won a national award on the Chinese Mainland. The efficacy of Hong Kong's CM smoking cessation techniques has long been validated by evidence. The DH, designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence, today organised a training workshop on CM acupuncture for smoking cessation to help local and non-local frontline CM practitioners further enhance their knowledge and skills in delivering smoking cessation treatments to make them accessible to the public.
The CM smoking cessation service, organised and subvented by the DH and operated by Pok Oi Hospital, participated in a research project titled Research and Application of Acupuncture Intervention Techniques for Tobacco Dependence. This project recently won the second prize in the 2025 Science and Technology Award of the China Association of Chinese Medicine on the Chinese Mainland. The award not only recognises the efforts of Pok Oi Hospital and relevant medical institutions in researching, promoting and applying acupuncture techniques to address tobacco dependence, but also validates the efficacy of Hong Kong's CM smoking cessation techniques.
Since being designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence in 2012, the DH has served as a regional hub for supporting training in smoking cessation treatment and services. It regularly provides such training to tobacco control professionals in Hong Kong, on the Chinese Mainland and across the Western Pacific region.
The workshop today attracted about 80 CM practitioners from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and Macao. The training workshop covers smoking cessation counselling, the mechanism and treatment plans of CM smoking cessation (including acupuncture and ear-point treatment). It is designed to help CM practitioners enhance their knowledge and skills in delivering cessation treatments. Studies show that combining acupuncture with ear-point treatment and professional counselling can effectively alleviate withdrawal symptoms and relieve discomforts during the initial stages of smoking cessation, thereby achieving significant therapeutic effects and increasing the success rate.
Since last year, the number of CM smoking cessation service providers subvented by the DH has increased from one to four, namely Pok Oi Hospital, the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, the United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service and the School of Chinese Medicine of the University of Hong Kong. The smoking cessation clinics primarily offer counselling and acupuncture, and the number of service users has doubled. Currently, there are over 200 service points across Hong Kong (including CM mobile clinics and fixed clinics) offering CM smoking cessation services, providing convenient access for those seeking to quit smoking.
Apart from organising CM smoking cessation training workshops, the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the DH also organises the Annual Training Programme on Tobacco Control for tobacco control workers in the Western Pacific region, and conducts smoking cessation treatment training courses for healthcare professionals from the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao. These training workshops have attracted a cumulative total of over 1 000 participants to date.
Furthermore, the DH has prepared a variety of resources for healthcare professionals, including patient pamphlets, referral forms to cessation clinics, "Very Brief Advice" and "Brief Intervention on Smoking Cessation" delivery toolkits, online training courses, and a Practical Handbook for Smoking Cessation Treatments. These resources are designed to support healthcare professionals in helping smokers quit through various channels. Relevant information has been uploaded to TACO's website.
Members of the public can call 1833 183 or visit the smoking cessation thematicwebsitefor more information on quitting smoking, and the available support tools and services.
DH's organised and subvented Chinese medicine acupuncture for smoking cessation techniques wins national award and training workshop makes relevant techniques accessible to more people Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DH's organised and subvented Chinese medicine acupuncture for smoking cessation techniques wins national award and training workshop makes relevant techniques accessible to more people Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
