'HK can learn a lot from the mainland on hygiene'

'HK can learn a lot from the mainland on hygiene'

A pro-Beijing party said on Thursday that Hong Kong is lagging behind the mainland when it comes to public hygiene, as it called for the SAR to set up a HK$6.5 billion fund to clean up the city.



The Business and Professionals Alliance (BPA) said that to counter the threat of various diseases, this fund could be used to pay for increased rodent and mosquito controls, modernising wet markets, and fixing leaking air conditioners.



The party said using government data, it has calculated that the current cost to the taxpayer for each rodent killed is HK$4,400, while officials spend more than HK$4,700 eliminating each mosquito breeding site.



The BPA said the figures show that such control measures in the city are not cost-effective and lessons in this regard could be learned from Guangdong.



"In hygiene protection and even domestic cleaning, we can see robotics everywhere. Some of the robotics are quite economical, that means affordable by individual families," said BPA vice chairwoman Priscilla Leung.



"First of all they have governmental technology that they use for the public as well as there is widespread technology being used even domestically at home."



Leung added that the authorities in Shenzhen also have a lot of experience in dealing with rodent infestations.



"The Guangdong weather is very similar to Hong Kong, humid and hot, and they have abundant experience in fighting against mice infestations and also, towards other kinds of hygiene problems which were much more serious than Hong Kong before."