Harbor revival

So dirty was Victoria Harbor at one time that a South China Morning Post report described contestants at the end of the cross-harbor race in 1976 as having "bloodshot eyes, a grease- smeared face and a body blackened with sump oil."

Hong Kong's priority then was development, not conservation. That explained why untreated sewage was simply discharged into the harbor, turning it into a virtual nullah.

Twenty-four years after the race was last held in 1978, thanks to the completion of an HK$8.2 billion sewage treatment facility, the harbor's water is fit for swimming again, and the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association is preparing to put the spectacular race back on.

The long time and huge costs it has taken to clean up the harbor should serve as a reminder to everyone that while it is easy to pollute, it is a lot harder to clean up.

The harbor has always been Hong Kong's most precious asset.

It not only underpins the territory's growth as a port but is also a world-class scenic spot that draws in tourists.

Properly organized and promoted, the cross-harbor race, as a challenging sporting competition and a stunning spectacle, has the potential to become another international event that draws sustained and regular interest in the SAR, something the Hong Kong marathon, to be held on Sunday, is beginning to achieve.

That is provided the smog which is increasingly smudging our view of the harbor will not ruin the spectacle. The SAR still has a lot more cleaning up to do.

-- South China Morning Post, Hong Kong