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The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government today (November 6) awarded a consultancy agreement to Hong Kong University of Science and Technology R and D Corporation Limited to undertake the PM2.5 Study for Air Quality Improvement in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) Region. The Study is the first regional air quality study commissioned under the "Cooperation Agreement on Regional Air Pollution Control and Prevention among Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao" signed in September this year.
At the signing ceremony, the Under Secretary for the Environment, Ms Christine Loh, said, "Over the past 30 years, the rapid economic and industrial growth in the PRD has led to a decline in air quality in the region. Air pollution is a regional problem and the known major culprit for visibility degradation is fine particulate matter (PM2.5)."
Ms Loh said that this joint study underscores the determination of the Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau governments to combat our regional air pollution problem.
"A regional approach is essential in understanding the PM2.5 pollution characteristics and sources. It is a necessary step towards the formulation of effective evidence-based control strategies by the three governments to improve regional air quality," she added.
The study will last for 30 months and is expected to be completed in mid-2017. Within the study period, the consultant will synchronise the year-long concurrent field monitoring programmes of Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macau to obtain spatial and temporal distribution data as well as chemical speciation data on PM2.5 pollutants in the PRD region. The consultant will use the monitoring data for conducting advanced statistical analysis to identify PM2.5 sources and quantify their contribution to regional air pollution. With the assistance of air quality modelling, the collected data and analysis results will be integrated to form a holistic understanding of PM2.5 pollution characteristics to assist in the joint formulation of appropriate and effective policies to combat regional air pollution.
Ends/Thursday, November 6, 2014
Issued at HKT 16:31
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