Environment | Most of Hong Kong air pollution comes from PRD

Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department (EPD) announced the results of a research which concluded that nearly 70 percent of the city’s suspended particles stem from emissions coming from the Pearl River Delta region, according to a report by Hong Kong Apple Daily.

Driven by these results, and having considered regional aspects, the EPD, when establishing the air quality standards, altered the upper limits regarding air quality, setting them by WHO’s medium-term goal, rather than by the ultimate goal.

The EPD notes that WHO suggests that different governments, when establishing their own standards, should comply with practical situations and with “political and social” aspects to reduce air quality “gradually” towards meeting the ultimate goal.

Hong Kong authorities remarked that the HKSAR allows the air quality to reach a maximum of nine times the upper limit.

Hong Kong EPD explained that the European Union and UK have established WHO’s PM10 as the highest standards, although they allow the index to exceed the standard 35 times. In turn, Hong Kong, having a lower highest standard of air quality, only allows the maximum to reach nine times the limit.

Hong Kong EPD says that, in its understanding, currently, there is not a single government in the world capable of meeting WHO’s ultimate goal in terms of air quality standards.

It also emphasized that Hong Kong’s standards are similar to those of the European Union and the US.

Previously, the director of Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau, Fong Soi Kun, said that Macau’s air pollution mainly comes from the city’s car emissions.