The quality of the waters that surrounded Hong Kong in 1946 – 47 reflected the smaller population of the times, whereas today the same waters take the wastes of a population almost four times larger. Moreover, in the 1940s scavenging for waste materials on land (almost nothing was overlooked by the poorest people) meant that far less rubbish was washed into the harbour along storm water drains. Still, as Hedda Morrison’s photograph of the sampan shows, the harbour’s foreshore and anchorage waters had substantial floating rubbish. 
 
The middle harbour, however, remained virtually unpolluted. The discharge volume of sewage was infinitely less than today; and, with the harbour far less reclaimed, the tides more effectively scoured out the harbour channels. Swimming remained popular
in some of the harbour foreshore areas, and the crews of naval vessels, moored midstream, swam off their ships. (Sharks sometimes led to rapid clambering up nets slung from the ships’ sides.) Today, despite massive and significant remedial measures, the harbour remains severely polluted. Swimming in it is unthinkable.