Hong Kong Takes Some of the Rap for Pollution
Date: 22-Mar-07
Country: CHINA
By volume, most air pollution in crowded Hong Kong may come from China, but vehicles, ships and power plants in the former British colony are the main source of pollution for most of the time, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the Civic Exchange think tank says.
Hong Kong's worsening air pollution has become a growing source of concern in recent years. Both local coal-fired power plants and thousands of Hong Kong-owned factories in the Pearl River Delta have been blamed.
A government sponsored joint study in 1999 that showed that the southern province of Guangdong accounted for 80 percent of the region's emissions.
"More than 50 percent of the time, emissions from local sources dominate the air pollution in Hong Kong," said Alexis Lau at the university.
The government said air quality was at the top of its agenda.
"We have imposed emission caps on power companies since 2005 and will progressively tighten the caps," it said.