Environment | Specialists express concern over city’s air pollution

The air quality in the region went five times above safe levels on Monday, with the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau (SMG) warning residents to not engage in outdoor activities.

A medical doctor who preferred to stay anonymous told the Times that it could be problematic for the region to control pollution levels as the city is densely populated and is influenced by neighboring regions which are fully industrialized.

The medical doctor lamented that several factors have been worsening the situation, though the region has its capabilities to provide a better and greener environment.

“The traffic has increased a lot in the last decades, so all these elements can contribute to the worsening of the situation,” the doctor told the Times via phone.

However, the physician noted that the government had been conducting measures to aid the overall situation citing anti-smoking legislation.

The doctor was referring to the amendments of Tobacco Prevention and Control Regime (Smoking Law), which entered into force on January 1.

The doctor added that residents with allergies, asthma and related diseases have been increasing in the past decade – a phenomenon that was rarely seen years ago.

The medical expert also called on the government to look at how other countries control traffic, adding the possibility of providing a bicycle lane for residents.

“Even though we want to use bicycles, there aren’t ways to use bicycles in Macau. [Macau] can learn from China and Singapore where they control traffic and people can organize themselves in using [bicycles and] private cars,” the expert continued.

A private practitioner, Dr Jose Peres de Sousa, an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist, noted that air pollution has no direct effect in pathology but will worsen residents who have chronic diseases.

“These people can suffer more and [it will be] harder for them to breathe. We are [also] in the time of the influenza so these two things combined can affect many residents,” said the specialist.

Dr de Sousa noted that he has recently seen an increase in the number of patients affected by pollution.

He advised residents, particularly those with chronic illnesses, to avoid any outdoor activities and avoid areas where viruses could spread faster including restaurants, theaters and public areas.

SMG defined the Air Quality Index on Monday ranging between 101 and 200 as “unsuitable” for outdoor activities, discouraging the public to engage in them.

The Times contacted the Environmental Protection Bureau to enquire whether the bureau will conduct measures to limit the severity of the pollution, and asked what had been and will be done by the bureau to address the issue.

However, no reply was received by press time.

Ng Kuai San, from the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau explained on Monday, “It is unlikely for it to spread [causing] the intensity of the pollutants to rise. Meanwhile, the relative humidity was higher in the morning. Both lead to poorer visibility in some local districts,” as cited in a TDM report.

SMG believes that when the easterly wind strengthens in the middle of the week, the visibility will improve. LV