**********************************************************
The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Department of Environmental Protection of Guangdong Province (GDEPD) jointly released today (April 30) a report on the 2013 monitoring results of four major air pollutants (sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone and respirable suspended particulates) measured by the Pearl River Delta Regional Air Quality Monitoring Network (Air Quality Network). The report is available on both the EPD website (www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/resources_pub/publications/m_report.html) and the GDEPD website (www.gdep.gov.cn/).
Since the operation of the Air Quality Network in 2006, the number of days on which the Regional Air Quality Index (RAQI) met Class 2 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (applicable to general residential areas) increased from 68 per cent in 2006 to 82 per cent in 2013. The average annual concentrations of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and respirable suspended particulates in the region decreased by 62 per cent, 13 per cent and 15 per cent respectively in the same period. This trend is mainly attributed to the air pollutant emission reduction measures implemented in the two places in recent years. The trend since 2006 is shown in Annex.
In comparison to 2012, the annual proportion of days on which the RAQI met Class 2 National Ambient Air Quality Standards remained more or less the same, being 82 per cent and 84 per cent for 2013 and 2012 respectively. The average annual concentration levels of sulphur dioxide and ozone in 2013 also remained more or less the same. However, due to specific meteorological conditions in January and December 2013, including stronger solar radiation and lower wind speed, which were favourable for the formation of photochemical pollution but unfavourable for pollutant dispersion, the levels of nitrogen dioxide and respirable suspended particulates increased by 5 per cent and 13 per cent respectively.
Key emission reduction measures implemented in Hong Kong in recent years include the tightening of emission caps on and installing desulphurisation and denitrification systems at power plants, the tightening of vehicle emission standards and fuel standards to Euro V standards, the tightening of the sulphur content limit in diesel fuel for industrial and commercial uses, installing vapour recovery systems at all petrol filling stations and restricting the volatile organic compound (VOC) content of consumer products. This year, Hong Kong will roll out additional control measures, mainly including phasing out pre-Euro and Euro I to Euro III diesel commercial vehicles mandatorily, and improving the quality of light diesel for local vessels' consumption.
Key emission reduction measures implemented in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) Economic Zone in recent years include installing desulphurisation and denitrification systems at large-scale thermal power generating units and closing down a total capacity of 2 289 MW of small-scale units in the first three years of the 12th Five-Year Plan period; requiring the installation of low-NOx burners and denitrification systems at power plants and new dry-type cement kilns; phasing out heavily polluting cement plants as well as iron and steel plants; installing vapour recovery systems at petrol filling stations, oil depots and on tanker trucks; applying leak detection and repair technology to reduce VOC emission in the petrochemical sector; phasing out heavily polluting boilers and commercial "yellow-label" vehicles; and implementing new pollutant emission standards for boilers as well as cement, furniture manufacturing, printing, shoe-making and surface coating (automobile manufacturing) industries. Last year, further new measures were implemented, including designating restriction zones for combustion of high polluting fuels and "yellow-label" vehicles, fully supplying petrol at Guangdong IV standards and diesel at National IV standards for vehicle use, and tightening the diesel vehicle emission standards to National IV standards.
Hong Kong unveiled "A Clean Air Plan for Hong Kong" in March 2013, while Guangdong announced "The Guangdong Air Pollution Control Plan (2014-2017)" in February 2014, under which both sides put forward a series of respective air quality improvement measures covering land and marine transport, power plants and non-road mobile machineries in order to tackle air pollution. The measures to be taken forward under these two plans should contribute to the improvement of regional air quality in the PRD region and help achieve the PRD emission reduction targets set out by the two sides for 2015 and 2020. The two sides will continue to collaborate on the prevention and control of air pollution with a view to further improving air quality in the PRD region.
The Air Quality Network is one of the major achievements in environmental collaboration between the two sides. It comprises 16 automatic ambient monitoring stations in the region, 13 of which are in the PRD Economic Zone, i.e. Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing, Shunde, Huiyang, Panyu and Conghua, while the other three are in Tsuen Wan, Tung Chung and Tap Mun in Hong Kong. The Guangdong Provincial Environmental Monitoring Centre and the EPD are respectively responsible for the co-ordination, management and operation of the monitoring stations of the two sides.
Ends/Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Issued at HKT 16:35
NNNN
