Record-level smog chokes Hong Kong

Ulhas Joglekar ulhasj at bom4.vsnl.net.in
Fri Apr 7 05:33:13 PDT 2000


Thursday 30 March 2000

Record-level smog chokes Hong Kong By Tan Ee Lyn HONG KONG: Thick, choking smog enveloped Hong Kong for a second day on Wednesday, and the government came under renewed pressure from environmentalists and politicians to rein in the worsening air pollution problem. Air pollution in Central business district shot up to 174 on the air pollution index by early afternoon, the highest ever recorded since measurements began in 1995, a spokeswoman from the Environmental Protection Department said. Before dawn on Wednesday, almost all of Hong Kong was registering more than 100 on the index -- levels regarded as "very high" -- triggering warnings from the government. "When the general index lies between 101 and 200, persons with existing heart or respiratory illnesses are advised to reduce physical exertion and outdoor activities," the government said in a statement. A Hospital Authority spokeswoman said it was not immediately known if the deterioration in air quality since Tuesday had caused more visits to doctors and hospitals. SUNNY DAYS RARE IN HONG KONG Sunny clear skies over Hong Kong have become rare in the last one year, but Wednesday's haziness sets a new pollution record. This problem has invited increasing criticism even from the business sector, which has now formed a lobby group to press the government into faster and more effective action. Hong Kong's worsening air pollution is usually blamed on its large fleets of diesel-powered vehicles, such as taxis, trucks and light buses, and smog from factories and power stations in other parts of southern China. On what would otherwise have been a fine day in spring, Victoria Harbour was smothered in thick smog and skyscrapers lining both sides of the famous waterway were hardly discernible. Wearing white surgical masks and carrying banners, about 12 activists from Friends of the Earth took to streets in Central and Causeway Bay in protest, urging the government to act. They also passed pamphlets to taxi drivers and motorists, urging them not to keep the engines of their idle cars running. "We think this is intolerable. We urge the government to immediately legislate against idling engines. We hope the police will come out and catch these smoky vehicles instead of sitting in their offices and doing nothing," activist Plato Yip said. PEOPLE PINCH NOSES, RUSH INDOORS Pedestrians were seen pinching their noses or covering their mouths as they hurried to get indoors. "It's very hazy, I can't even see the buildings across the harbour. This is very terrible, as I already have lung problems," an elderly woman told television reporters. One tourist, who has been in Hong Kong for five days, said: "Two days now I've got sore throat, headaches, not very well." Legislator Christine Loh said in a statement: "We don't want just less-bad pollution. We demand real improvements." Loh called for quick imports of diesel with lower sulphur content, and for fines on smoky vehicles to be raised immediately to HK$5,000 (US$ 641) from the paltry HK$450 currently. A new arrival in Hong Kong, however, sunbathed near the harbour during lunch hour. "I thought it was nice, it doesn't seem any worse than London," she quipped. Assistant Director of Environmental Protection C. W. Tse blamed the alarmingly high pollution scores on the lack of wind. "We have had zero wind speed for a long long period of time, the air is stagnant, that causes pollution to be trapped," he told reporters at a briefing. (Reuters) For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service
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