Environmental protection officials in the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region and neighboring Guangdong Province said on Monday they are
confident of achieving their targets to reduce air pollution by 55
percent from 1997 levels within the next three years.
Reviewing their efforts to clean up the environment over the
past four years, Li Qing, director of Guangdong's environmental
protection department, and Edward Yau, permanent secretary for Hong
Kong's environmental protection department, said they were on
target to reach their goals for 2010.
Based on a report released by both authorities in October, the
daily average content of sulfur dioxide in Guangdong and Hong Kong
was 0.0715 mg per cubic meter of air, lower than the national
standard of 0.5 mg.
Levels of other pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone and
inhalable particulates in the two regions are also lower than
national standards, the report said.
In 2003, the authorities in Guangdong and Hong Kong signed an
agreement to jointly protect the environment of the two regions and
decrease the amount of air pollutants.
They aimed by 2010 to reduce emissions of inhalable particulates
and volatile organic compounds by 55 percent from 1997 levels;
emissions of sulfur dioxide by 40 percent and nitrogen dioxide, 20
percent.
Over the past four years, the authorities have adopted various
measures to lower the amount of pollutants discharged into the
air.
In Hong Kong, all cars are now required to meet the EU IV
emission standard and all power plants are encouraged to use
liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Similarly, the authorities in Guangdong promised to build six
large LNG power plants and started to provide LNG for residents in
the Pearl River Delta last year.
Officials from both regions have said they will next year
continue to implement the measures set in 2003.
Huang Wenmu, vice-director of the public relations division of
Guangdong's environmental protection department, told China
Daily yesterday: "The environmental protection departments of
Guangdong and Hong Kong have already laid down a working scheme for
next year."
The authorities in both regions will also reinforce the
protection of water resources to ensure adequate supplies and also
enhance energy-saving and marine resources protection, he said.
All About
LNG power plant,
Air pollution
(
China Daily December 12, 2007)
