Hong Kong's Polluted Victoria Harbor "Too Dangerous" Even For Batman

November 4, 2007 1:41 p.m. EST

Hong Kong, China (AHN) - Batman, the caped crusader from Gotham City, could easily beat arch rivals Joker and the Penguin without batting an eyelash but an encounter with the Hong Kong's famed but polluted harbor is one he is quick to back out from.

The script of the latest movie sequel calls for dark knight to jump out of a plane into the Victoria Harbor but producers cut the scene, noting the poor water quality is just too dangerous for the action hero, the South China Morning Post reports.

"The plan was for Batman to be seen jumping into the water and then climbing up some bamboo, or something similar, onto a pier. But when they checked a water sample, they found all sorts of things, salmonella and tuberculosis, so it was cancelled. Now the action will cut to inside a building," says a source quoted by the paper.

More than 225,000 vessels arrive annually in Victoria Harbor, one of the world's busiest piers. Industrial and residential sewage has long polluted the port and environmentalists discourage swimming in its waters.

Shooting in Hong Kong is scheduled for November.

The latest installment in the Batman movie series is entitled "The Dark Knight," a follow up to the 2005 blockbuster, "Batman Begins."

Pollution-related health concerns are a main concern in Hong Kong. Aside from poor quality of water, Hong Kong also suffers from air pollution. The city is often clouded in haze, partly due emissions from nearby factories and local power plants.