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Letter to The Editor of The Standard dated 13 April, 2005 - Response to the letter headlined "Let there be air, clean air"
All along, the Hong Kong SAR Government has been taking proactive measures to combat air pollution. The effectiveness of previous actions is evident from the facts set out in the statistics at the web-page of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) at http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/air/data/emission_inve.html.
During the ten-year period between 1993 and 2002, the total emission of sulphur dioxide in Hong Kong was reduced by 63% from 181,000 tonnes to 67,300 tonnes. Similarly the emission of nitrogen oxides was reduced from 165,000 tonnes to 86,400 tonnes and particulate matters from 16,200 tonnes to 7,280 tonnes, representing a reduction of 48% and 55% respectively. These reductions are significant and are the results of the various control initiatives the Government has introduced on power companies, industries and motor vehicles.
To further strengthen the control of emissions from motor vehicles, the Government announced a package of initiatives in the 1999 Policy Address which includes switching to LPG taxis, replacing diesel light buses with LPG/electric vehicles, adopting the most stringent Euro III emission standards, using ultra low sulphur diesel, retrofitting particulate trap/catalyst to old diesel vehicles, strengthening emission tests and enforcement against smoky vehicles... etc.
These initiatives have proven to be effective. Compared with 1999, the number of smoky vehicles on the road has dropped by around 80% in 2004. Over the same period, respirable suspended particulates and nitrogen oxides at roadside have dropped by 9% and 24% respectively. However, although the roadside air quality in Hong Kong had improved, the concentrations of respirable suspended particulates recorded by general air quality monitoring stations have increased from their 1999 levels by 15%, whereas those of ozone had increased by as much as 26% during the same period. It is evident from these figures that the air quality of Hong Kong is increasingly affected by regional air pollution as the Mainland economy continues to grow. The rapidly deteriorating smog problem over the Pearl River Delta (PRD) Region is also highly visible.
While the Government will continue to reduce emissions from local sources, it is essential to work with Guangdong collectively to improve the regional air quality. The two sides reached an agreement in April 2002 to work towards reducing the emissions of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, respirable suspended particulates and volatile organic compounds by 40%, 20%, 55% and 55%, respectively, using 1997 as the base year, and agreed to strive to achieve those targets by 2010. Attainment of these targets will significantly improve the air quality of Hong Kong and the PRD Region as well as greatly relieve the regional smog problem.
On our part, we have adopted very stringent standards in controlling emissions from vehicles. Since 2001, motor diesel has been mandated to meet the Euro IV standard, almost 5 years ahead of Europe. On 1 January this year, we introduced Euro IV standard for petrol. Since 31 March, we have required the installation of vapour recovery systems for vehicle refueling at petrol filling stations. Furthermore, we will continue to encourage more light buses to use LPG-powered vehicles.
Under the regional air quality management plan jointly developed, the governments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Guangdong will continue to make joint efforts in 2005-06 to reduce emissions from various pollution sources. In Hong Kong, we are discussing with power companies about further reducing their emissions, making preparations for tightening vehicle emission standards to the Euro IV level from January 2006, and working out a proposal for reducing volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from certain VOC containing products. In Guangdong, a programme is underway to retrofit its power stations with flue gas desulphurisation systems by 2007, construct four liquefied natural gas power plants by 2006 and further tighten motor vehicle emission standards by 2005.
The HKSAR Government has made some major headway in reducing local emissions. With the cooperation of Guangdong, we are also making progress in implementing the regional air quality management plan. We expect the air quality of the PRD Region to improve significantly when all the control measures are fully implemented in the next few years.
K K Kwok
Permanent Secretary for the Environment,
Transport and Works (Environment)
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