Facelift: Secretary for Home Affairs Dr Patrick Ho inspects the cleanliness of an alley.

Sixty-six of 175 hygiene blackspots identified by Team Clean have been cleansed in recent months.

Secretary for Home Affairs Dr Patrick Ho said today that since May the Home Affairs Department has been co-ordinating monthly clean-up operations throughout Hong Kong with the support of Government departments, local organisations and the public.

To help inspect hygiene conditions and identify problem sites, the department has recruited more than 2,400 volunteers from local organisations to form 170 hygiene squads.

As the Lunar New Year approaches, the department has further mobilised over 4,000 people to help in special clean-up operations.

Closed-circuit television cameras have been installed, on a trial basis, at selected venues in Yuen Long, Sham Shui Po, Kowloon City and Yau Tsim Mong to monitor hygiene problems.

"At the end of the trial period, the department will assess the effectiveness of CCTV in improving the level of cleanliness. We will then decide on what to do next," Dr Ho said, adding that concerted and sustained efforts to clean the environment are vital to showing our status as a world-class city.

A lane called Tai Pei Square was one of six pilot projects launched by Team Clean last August to develop an inter-departmental partnership in tackling environmental hygiene blackspots. Dr Ho said he is impressed by the great improvement in the lane's hygiene.

"When I first came here last April the conditions were filthy with leaking pipes, choked ditches, illegal structures, walls covered in grime, puddles of water and pests all over the place. I am pleased to find the surface repaved, surface channels reconstructed, defective drainage rectified, walls cleaned, and unauthorised building works removed."

He attributed this to the hard work of Government departments and the co-operation of residents.

. . . but there is room for improvement

Despite the determination of the majority of the population to keep clean, environmental hygiene problems persist in certain areas.

In his visit to another lane near Tai Pei Square, Dr Ho was disappointed to find hygienic conditions remained substandard due to the irresponsible behaviour of some residents.

"It is a disgrace that some people are still treating rear lanes as common dumping grounds and creating other environmental nuisance. We will not be able to eradicate all hygiene blackspots unless everyone pitches in," he said.

"I appeal to all sectors of the community to observe personal, home and environmental hygiene. Make it a habit to keep clean and make our city truly clean and healthy."

Dr Ho also visited several shops run by Nepalese merchants in Kwun Chung, Yau Tsim Mong. He distributed environmental hygiene leaflets in Nepalese and asked for their support in keeping Hong Kong clean.

He called on people to stay vigilant on environmental cleanliness and personal hygiene during the Lunar New Year holiday, such as during Friday night's fireworks spectacular and when travelling abroad.