Don't Touch Black Sand On Lung Mei Beach, Says Expert

An ecology expert is urging people not to touch black sand on Lung Mei Beach in Tai Po, saying it could contain harmful bacteria.

Billy Hau, a principal lecturer from Hong Kong University's school of biological sciences, made the call after environmental groups raised concerns about possible pollution on the beach.

Despite opposition from green groups, the government turned parts of Lung Mei into an artificial beach which has been open to the public since June 23. Environmentalists had warned the move would endanger a wide range of marine species in the area.

Hau said while it's natural for an anoxic layer, or black sand to form around gentle shores like Lung Mei, where waves are weak, it could contain harmful substances.

“Sometimes the water quality can fluctuate a lot, and there could be some not very good bacteria inside the bad sand. My suggestion is not to play with the black sand because it smells. Secondly, you don’t know what’s inside. If you have young kids whose immunity is not very strong, I would suggest not to play with the black sand,” he said.

The expert said although the appearance of the black sand doesn’t necessarily suggest pollution in the area, the water quality around Lung Mei is not known to be good. He said the area is just not an ideal beach site.

“Tolo Harbour, where Lung Mei is located, is actually a protected bay, where the flushing of the water in and out during the tidal cycle is actually not strong. So it already suffers from very strong pollution issues naturally, so selecting the beach there means the chances of having bad water quality is higher in comparison with other parts of Hong Kong.”

The Environmental Protection Department has downgraded the water quality at Lung Mei Beach from “good” to “fair” since July 21, but the expert said it’s too early to tell whether it is becoming worse.

Hau also noted that some people were seen collecting or playing with marine species like starfish and sea urchins on the beach, which he said is harmful to the organisms there.

He called on the authorities to step up public education on how to better conserve the natural habitat when using the beach, as well as to carry out an assessment into the impact of human activities at the ecological site.