Shing Mun River
Encyclopedia
Shing Mun River, or Shing Mun River Channel, is a river
in Sha Tin
, Hong Kong
.
The original Shing Mun River began at Needle Hill, and flowed into the former Tide Cove
(Sha Tin Hoi), a shallow bay. In the 1970s, Tide Cove was drained
and turned to Sha Tin New Town
. The river was extended through a 7 km long, 200 m wide artificial channel in the middle of the area to flow into Tolo Harbour
. Other rivers that had originally flowed into Tide Cove are now tributaries of Shing Mun River or one of its nullah
s.
The Shing Mun River channel runs from the Tai Wai
area, through the Sha Tin town centre to the Tolo Harbour. It has three main tributaries, namely Tai Wai Nullah
, Fo Tan Nullah
and Siu Lek Yuen Nullah
. Along the Shing Mun River are high-rise residential, commercial and industrial buildings with numerous village type developments scattered around. Several bridges were built to connect the two sides of the Shing Mun River.
The Shing Mun River had once been heavily polluted from the indiscriminate discharges from livestock, industrial, commercial and domestic sources. The total organic pollution load from these discharges amount to a population equivalent of 160,000 in the 1980s. At that time, hardly any living creatures were found in the river.
The water quality of Shing Mun River has improved from bad to good in terms of the Water Quality Index since 1993. Lifeforms including fish and invertebrates have also reappeared in the river.
An artificial river bank was built along a 250-metre section near Man Lai Court, where there are relatively severe sediment accumulations and odour problems.
Shing Mun River is a popular place for water sports, such as: rowing
, canoeing
, kayaking
and dragon boat
racing. There are two boathouses in the river, located at Yuen Wo Road and Shek Mun respectively. The river has a standard of 2000 metres long for regattas.
Rivers of Hong Kong
The location of Hong Kong, adjacent to the coast, is not close to the system of major rivers in southern China, though the water to the west of Hong Kong is influenced by Pearl River. In 1,103 km² of land, the territory is largely hilly with over 200 islands...
in Sha Tin
Sha Tin
Sha Tin, also spelled Shatin, is an area around the Shing Mun River in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District.-Geography:...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
History
Tide Cove
Tide Cove or Sha Tin Hoi is a cove at the mouth of Shing Mun River. The cove is open to Tolo Harbour . The cove was largely reclaimed for the development of Sha Tin New Town.-See also:* Ma Liu Shui* Sha Tin Sewage Treatment Works...
(Sha Tin Hoi), a shallow bay. In the 1970s, Tide Cove was drained
Land reclamation in Hong Kong
Land is in short supply in Hong Kong, and land reclamation has been conducted there since the mid-19th century.-Projects:One of the earliest and famous project was the Praya Reclamation Scheme, which added 50 to of land in 1890 during the second phase of construction...
and turned to Sha Tin New Town
Sha Tin New Town
Sha Tin New Town is one of the new towns in Hong Kong. It is within the Sha Tin District, which covers the areas of Sha Tin, Tai Wai, Fo Tan, Tai Shui Hang, Ma On Shan, etc. With development started in the 1970s, it covers an area of 35.87 square kilometres . It presently has a population over...
. The river was extended through a 7 km long, 200 m wide artificial channel in the middle of the area to flow into Tolo Harbour
Tolo Harbour
Tolo Harbour , or Tai Po Hoi is a sheltered harbour in northeast New Territories of Hong Kong.-Geography:Tide Cove aka...
. Other rivers that had originally flowed into Tide Cove are now tributaries of Shing Mun River or one of its nullah
Nullah
A Nullah or Nulla is an arm of the sea, stream, or watercourse, a steep narrow valley. Like the wadi of the Arabs, the nullah is characteristic of mountainous or hilly country where there is little rainfall...
s.
The Shing Mun River channel runs from the Tai Wai
Tai Wai
Tai Wai is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong, located between Sha Tin New Town and the Lion Rock. It is the largest part of the Sha Tin District....
area, through the Sha Tin town centre to the Tolo Harbour. It has three main tributaries, namely Tai Wai Nullah
Tai Wai Nullah
Tai Wai Nullah is one of the nullahs of Shing Mun River in Tai Wai of Hong Kong....
, Fo Tan Nullah
Fo Tan Nullah
Fo Tan Nullah is one of the nullahs of Shing Mun River in Fo Tan, Hong Kong.-External links:*, in Chinese...
and Siu Lek Yuen Nullah
Siu Lek Yuen Nullah
Siu Lek Yuen Nullah is one of the nullahs of Shing Mun River in Siu Lek Yuen of Hong Kong.-External links:*, in Chinese...
. Along the Shing Mun River are high-rise residential, commercial and industrial buildings with numerous village type developments scattered around. Several bridges were built to connect the two sides of the Shing Mun River.
Bridges
There are four major bridges across the Shing Mun River:- Banyan Bridge (翠榕橋) on Fo Tan Road
- Dragon Bridge (錦龍橋) on Sha Tin RoadSha Tin RoadSha Tin Road, opened in November 1984, is a dual-2 lane expressway in Hong Kong. It links Lion Rock Tunnel Road and Tai Po Road - Sha Tin, forming a part of Route 1....
- Lion Bridge (獅子橋) on Lion Rock Tunnel Road
- Sandmartin Bridge (沙燕橋) on Sha Tin Rural Committee Road
- Lek Yuen BridgeLek Yuen BridgeLek Yuen Bridge is a pedestrian footbridge in Sha Tin, Sha Tin New Town, New Territories, Hong Kong, across the Shing Mun River Channel....
- a pedestrian bridge across the river channel
Pollution problem
The water quality of Shing Mun River has improved from bad to good in terms of the Water Quality Index since 1993. Lifeforms including fish and invertebrates have also reappeared in the river.
An artificial river bank was built along a 250-metre section near Man Lai Court, where there are relatively severe sediment accumulations and odour problems.
Current usage
Although the river is primarily designed for the drainage of storm water from Sha Tin with a catchment area of 37 km², it is also a popular place for recreational users such as rowers, anglers, riverside walkers and cyclists.Shing Mun River is a popular place for water sports, such as: rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
, kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
and dragon boat
Dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...
racing. There are two boathouses in the river, located at Yuen Wo Road and Shek Mun respectively. The river has a standard of 2000 metres long for regattas.