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Kai Tai River (啟德河), commonly known as the Kai Tak Nullah, with a length of 1.5km, is the waterway situated between Kowloon City and San Po Kong. Historically called ‘Long Jin River’, Kai Tak Nullah was constructed in the course of airport expansion during the Japanese occupancy in 1940s.
In 2001, the Drainage Services Department (DSD) began to deal with the illegal sewage discharges, discovered more than 90 mistaken connections and rectified over 90% of them. The next year, the authority also constructed the concealed pipe for the dry-season sewage drainage, further reduced the unpleasant smells. In 2004, the government completed the Kai Tak Transfer Scheme by diverting the rainfalls from Central Kowloon via the Kai Tak Nullah to the sea. It not only has drastically reduced the risk of flooding in the Central Kowloon, it also increased the flow along the nullah, thus recovering its function of flood prevention. Since 2005, the water quality of the Kai Tak Nullah has improved and the water quality indices graded the water quality in the Kai Tak Nullah as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’. Since then, the downstream of the nullah became a natural habitat that attracts fishes and birds.
With the improvement of drainage works in recent years, the Kai Tak Nullah gradually resumes its water quality as in the past. In Sept 2007, the nullah was renamed publicly as the “Kai Tak River” – the process of rediscovering a lost human landscape towards a social sustainability began. Source: http://www.kaitakriver.com/
The five candles are Galaxia (星河明居).
Kai Tak River is next to Choi Hung Road (彩虹道).
The grey building on the left is Wong Tai Sin Police Station.
This photo is taken from a footbridge above the river.
The water is very clean, viewed by naked eyes. No debris and rubbish can be seen. But on the day of taking photos, no fish and bird can be found in the river.
It is this footbridge to take photos.
The building on the top is San Po Kong Mansions (新蒲崗大廈).
Once the river is beautified, it is a gift to the people in the vicinity. I do not know whether some recreational activities can be launch on and along the river. Hopefully the river will be similar to those in Guangzhou and Seoul. We are waiting for this day to come.
Islet Relics /2014
