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   Following is a question by the Hon Choy So-yuk and an oral reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works, Dr Sarah Liao, in the Legislative Council meeting today (june 22) :


Question

   It is anticipated that cross-boundary vehicular traffic will rise sharply upon the completion of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor next year and the scheduled commissioning of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in 2010. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether:

(a) the authorities have measured the existing concentration levels of air pollutants (including sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, suspended particulates and ozone) at locations along these two highways for use as the base of reference for the future, and for assessing the relevant figures of the air pollutants at these locations, and even in all districts in the territory, upon the commissioning of the highways;

(b) the authorities will monitor the air pollutant concentration at the relevant locations in the long run after the commissioning of the highways; if so, of the details of the monitoring; if not, the reasons for that; and

(c) the above-mentioned information will be made public; if so, of the timing and manner in which the information will be released; if not, the reasons for that?


Reply

Madam President,

   The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) operates an air quality monitoring network of 11 general and three roadside monitoring stations in the territory, to monitor the concentrations of major air pollutants, including sulphur dioxide, total suspended particulates, respirable suspended particulates, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and lead. The compliance with the Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) as recorded by this network has been used as an indicator of air quality in different districts of Hong Kong. In terms of long-term air monitoring, the two existing monitoring stations at Yuen Long and Tung Chung will facilitate the monitoring of the overall compliance with AQOs in North West New Territories and South West New Territories after the commissioning of the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Corridor (HK-SWC) and the future Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB).

   Regarding the HK-SWC, the environmental monitoring and audit programme for the Hong Kong Section of the project requires the monitoring of the project's impact on air quality during the construction stage.  As for the Hong Kong Section of the HZMB and its connecting roads, the consultant of the Highways Department is conducting an environmental impact assessment which includes an air quality assessment and the formulation of environmental monitoring and audit recommendations.

   The EPD has published data from the monitoring stations on the Internet on an hourly basis, and will continue to release the air quality data to the public in this way.

Ends/Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Issued at HKT 14:53

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