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Planning
for a Better Environment
Prevention
and Mitigation through Environmental Impact Assessment
Better Air Qualit
Quieter Environment
Better Water Quality
Environmentally Sound Waste
Management and Facilities
Better
Air Quality
AIR POLLUTION
REMAINS one of our highest pollution control priorities. The
problem is compounded by high population density, a high concentration
of vehicles, especially diesel ones, and high-rise buildings
which hinder the dispersion of air pollutants at street level.
In 2000 we implemented a number of programmes to reduce vehicle
emissions and introduce cleaner fuels and new technology.
Urban air quality has improved as a result, with respirable
suspended particulates (RSPs) dropping 8%, and nitrogen dioxide
6%.
But there
is still some way to go. Overall, air quality at our 14 fixed
monitoring stations showed levels of harmful nitrogen dioxide
did not meet our health-based Air Quality Objectives at three
stations, and RSPs did not meet the objectives at six stations
in 2000.
Our target
is to reduce particulate emissions from vehicles by 80% by
2005, and nitrogen oxides from vehicles by 30%. In 2000 more
than 4,300 diesel taxis - one-quarter of the force - switched
to cleaner liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) with the help of
$720 million in grants from the government. More than 9,600
light diesel vehicles imported before 1995 were retrofitted
with particulate traps and catalytic converters. Again, this
represented about one-quarter of the fleet. In 2001 we will
require all newly registered taxis to run on LPG and we will
work on a proposal to phase out diesel light buses in favour
of clean alternatives. We will also put forward proposals
for retrofitting heavy vehicles (over four tonnes) with devices
to remove particulates.
Ultra-low
sulphur diesel (ULSD) was introduced which has 0.005% sulphur,
to replace diesel with 0.05% sulphur. The supply of ULSD at
petrol filling stations was changed over in just over one
month, making Hong Kong one of the first places in the world
to use this environmentally friendlier fuel on a widespread
basis. The European Union does not plan to adopt the fuel
as a standard until 2005.
Image
of Joint operation with Police under the smoky vehicle spotting
programme
Our smoky
vehicle spotter programme was upgraded, with extra EPD staff
going out on the street and the Hong Kong Police deploying
officers at district level. More than 64,000 smoky vehicle
reports were received in 2000. We also have an on-going programme
to count smoky vehicles at fixed locations on a regular basis,
and the numbers dropped by 19% in 2000.
Work continued
on a joint study on regional air pollution with Guangdong,
which we expect to complete in 2001 and release for public
discussion. We also set up an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Information
Centre at the Hong Kong Productivity Council and devised an
IAQ Certification Scheme, both of which will be launched in
early 2001. In 2001 we also plan to introduce a regulation
for controlling perchloroethylene emissions from dry cleaning
facilities.
Chart
of Technical and administrative measures have helped to lower
emissions, despite an increase in vehicle mileage
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