Hong Kong Standard , 24 Feb 2999

At least 2000 premature deaths a year could be attributed to air pollution, the Environmental Protection Department said yesterday. Department Director Robert Law said the overall pollution problem was now serious and costing Hong Kong heavily. Based on studies conducted elsewhere, Mr. Law said: “There is no doubt that air pollution levels in Hong Kong account for at least 2000 premature deaths each year.” “There is equally no doubt that out air pollution problems cause many thousands more people to seek medical treatment for a variety of illness.” He said a study done by Chinese University showed a correlation between the increased number of hospital admissions on days which recorded high air pollution. He said steadily dropping visibility levels had a direct impact on Hong Kong’s international image.

“People react to what they see, and visitors are going away with an impression of Hong Kong as a dirty, polluted city,” said Mr. Law. “All of these add up to billions of dollars being lost to the economy.” He said emissions from diesel vehicles remained a major cause of pollution and the solution to air pollution was to limit the use of diesel vehicles. “We can no longer deal with our traffic congestion problems by simple building more roads. What Hong Kong need is an extensive network of rail services, at least as extensive as those in Tokyo and London,” Mr. Law said.

“Even with the cleanest diesel vehicles available, the sheer number of them on our roads will mean that we may never attain our air quality objectives. Therefore, it is crucial that we limit the growth in the diesel vehicles. “One of the most effective ways to ensure this is to greatly expand our rail network in Hong Kong, and we need to do this urgently.