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Press
Releases - 1998
EPD
publishing new roadside air pollution index next Monday
The Environmental
Protection Department (EPD) announced today (Friday) that
starting from next Monday, a new roadside air pollution index
(API) would be released daily in addition to the existing
general API.
Speaking
at a press conference, the Assistant Director of Environmental
Protection (Air), Mr Tse Chin-wan, said the aim of releasing
roadside API was to arouse more public awareness on air pollution
caused by vehicle emission.
"Our
current API follows the practices in many other cities and
reports the quality of the air which people usually breathe
in their homes and offices.
"In view
of the many busy roads in the urban area and that motor vehicles
are the major sources of our air pollution, we have decided
to extend the current API to report also the level of air
pollution by the side of these busy roads," Mr Tse said.
EPD has
been operating a monitoring station to measure the air pollution
in Mong Kok for many years, and the measurement data have
been published on a monthly basis.
"We hope
that by releasing the roadside API every day, we can help
the community to be more aware of the extent of our air pollution
in busy urban streets," Mr Tse said.
To enhance
EPD's ability to report the API for roadsides, a new monitoring
station has been built in Causeway Bay right next to Hennessy
Road and another new station is also being built in Central.
Mr Tse
said as these roadside monitoring stations were built to measure
air pollution very close to the tail-pipes of motor vehicles,
the roadside API would naturally be much higher than the general
API.
He said
the new information would be of most use to those people who
had to spend long periods of time at roadside locations.
"These
tail-pipe emissions from motor vehicles not only pollute our
air but also often cause direct nuisance to passing pedestrians.
Therefore the control of air pollution from motor vehicles
is one of the top priorities of the Government," Mr Tse said.
Together
with the new roadside API, the EPD will also now be reporting
the general API for each of the monitoring stations as well
as using a new set of descriptors to describe different levels
of air pollution.
"We hope
all these changes can help the general public to become more
interested in the API and have a better understanding of air
pollution levels in places where they usually go to," Mr Tse
said.
Members
of the public can obtain API readings directly by calling
2827 8541. From June 15, 1998 onwards, the information will
also be available on the EPD Internet website at http://www.info.gov.hk/epd/.
Leaflets explaining the new API system are also available
at various offices of EPD.
End/Friday,
June 12, 1998
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