The Young Reporter
Budget 2023: Light public housing remains controversial
- 2023-02-22
- Society
- The Young Reporter
- By: Juncong SHUAI、Yuqi CHUEdited by: Chengqi MO
- 2023-02-22
A few steps from the Kai Tak MTR station, an extensive but barren ground is enclosed by barbed wire, incongruent with the surrounding high-rise residences and shopping malls. The land is earmarked for the construction of light public housing. As one of eight sites designated by the government, Kai Tak is expected to provide 10,700 units for people waiting for more long-term public housing. “It’s hard to imagine over 10,000 people will flood into this area in the future. I’m afraid it’ll be a mess at that time,” said Alex Tsang, a resident living in the Kai Tak neighbourhood for three years. Anger spread among Kai Tak residents once the site selection for light public housing was announced in January. In today’s budget address, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said the government is committed to the construction of 30,000 flats by 2027. “I can understand the government's intention to build light public housing, but the site selection is wrong,” said Tsang. “Kai Tak should be a part of the CBD , but the temporary housing scheme will last seven years, nobody knows what will happen in the future.” The Light Public Housing scheme proposed by Chief Executive John Lee in his maiden policy address last year aims to give a better living environment to people waiting for permanent public houses. “As the supply of housing land is not evenly distributed across each year, and land creation takes time, there is still a shortage of land ready for public housing development in the short run,” said Chan in today’s budget speech. The first batch of housing is expected to cost HK$14.9 billion. Building light public housing costs 25% more than public rental housing, according to Liber Research Community, an independent think tank in Hong Kong. “Some light public housing is planned …
Endangered waterbird spotted in Hong Kong
- 2023-02-11
- Health & Environment
- The Young Reporter
- By: James Ezekiel Kalaw MODESTOEdited by: Ming Min AW YONG
- 2023-02-11
A routine morning bike ride at Tai Lam Country Park on 20 January turned into an unforgettable moment for birdwatcher John Chow Kwok-pun. He spotted what he recognised as a female merganser bird at a stream near Kat Hing Bridge, but could not identify it at the time because the bird was diving and swimming in the reservoir. “My first impression was that it was likely to be a female Red-breasted Merganser, a rare but regular species in Hong Kong,” said Chow. “However, its presence in freshwater habitat raises suspicion that it may not be this species, but one of two that prefers freshwater habitat.” Three days later, Chow returned to the bridge along with other bird watchers. “I could see that the merganser has fine gray scales on the chest and flanks, ruling out Red-breasted and Common Mergansers,” said Chow. “The overall features fall within those of a Scaly-sided Merganser, a previously unrecorded species in Hong Kong.” It turned out to be the first Scaly-sided Merganser ever spotted in Hong Kong. It is an endangered duck species native to North Asia and the Russian Far East. "The Scaly-sided Merganser, though first recorded in Hong Kong this year, has been recorded in the region and is considered a rare winter visitor to South China," said Joyee Chan Long-kwan, a fauna conservation officer at the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. The large duck is endemic to the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, a major migratory route for over 50 million waterbirds, according to the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, which includes the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society. "Hong Kong is a major stopover point along the bird migration route. The wide variety of local habitats contributes to the diversity of the birds," said Chan. The Scaly-sided Merganser is on the endangered list of the …