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Letter to the Editor of the South China Morning Post dated 8 September 2003
I refer to your editorial headlined "In fight against pollution, seeing is believing" and two related reports ("Improvement in air quality is hailed" and "Cross-border links a pollution threat") on September 4.
The Environmental Protection Department is fully committed to improving the air and water quality of Hong Kong. Notwithstanding the good progress made, more is being done.
For air quality, contrary to the doubt expressed in your editorial on whether we would be able to meet the target set in the 1999 Policy Address of reducing 60 per cent of the particulates emitted by motor vehicles by the end of this year, we in fact achieved that target a few months ahead of plan in May this year.
We are on course to achieve the 80 per cent reduction target set for the end of 2005 through various measures being implemented. Following the programme to retrofit particulate emission reduction devices on pre-Euro light diesel vehicles, we have started since late last year another programme to retrofit 38,000 pre-Euro heavy diesel vehicles with particulate removal devices. Such devices will become mandatory for pre-Euro light diesel vehicles from December this year and the same will happen to pre-Euro heavy diesel vehicles upon completion of their retrofit programme by the end of 2004.
Other than providing financial assistance to encourage the replacement of diesel taxis with LPG ones, the Government is now implementing another incentive scheme to encourage the early replacement of diesel light buses by LPG or electric light buses before 2006. Of all the newly registered light buses, over 80% are LPG ones.
Furthermore, we are taking up actively with our counterparts in Guangdong on ways to improve the regional air quality and to tackle our problem of smog. Last year, we reached a consensus with the Guangdong Provincial Government to aim, on a best endeavour basis, to reduce by 2010 the regional emissions of four major air pollutants by 20% to 55%, using 1997 as the base year. The two Governments are now working on a joint Regional Air Quality Management Plan. We have also agreed with the Guangdong Provincial Government to work on setting up an emissions trading pilot scheme covering the power plants in Hong Kong and selected power plants in Guangdong with the objective of achieving the emission reduction targets in a more cost effective manner.
Concerning the reported deterioration in water quality in the western part of the harbour, it is not surprising that some deterioration has taken place in this general area. What has been built so far is simply the first stage of what was intended to be a more comprehensive scheme, and the present outfall was always intended to be temporary. Nevertheless, the overall improvement to the harbour as a whole that has been achieved by the first stage of the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme is very significant. The relevant data can be found in our latest annual report.
We aim to complete our studies on the possible next steps towards the end of this year at which stage we will be consulting the community on what kind of system they would like to see put in place, and how much they would be willing to pay.
Mike Stokoe
Deputy Director of Environmental Protection
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