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MONDAY, MAY 5, 1986
AIR QUALITY OBJECTIVES ESTABLISHMENT ENDORSED
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THE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION ADVISORY COMMITTEE (EPCOM) TODAY (MONDAY) ENDORSED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AIR QUALITY OBJECTIVES AND THE DECLARATION IN PHASES OF AIR CONTROL ZONES WHICH WOULD FORM THE BASIS FOR AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT IN HONG KONG.
INDUSTRY AND THE DISTRICT BOARDS CONCERNED WILL BE CONSULTED ON THESE PROPOSALS.
PROVISIONS FOR THE DECLARATION OF AIR CONTROL ZONES BY THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL AND FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT BY THE SECRETARY FOR HEALTH AND WELFARE OF AIR QUALITY OBJECTIVES FOR EACH CONTROL ZONE ARE SET OUT UNDER THE AIR POLLUTION CONTROL ORDINANCE.
AT ITS MEETING TODAY, EPCOM NOTED THAT AIR QUALITY OBJECTIVES WERE EXPRESSED IN TERMS OF CONCENTRATION OF AIR POLLUTANTS AND THEY REPRESENTED THOSE VALUES WHICH WERE CONSIDERED NECESSARY TO PROMOTE THE CONSERVATION AND BEST USE OF AIR IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST.
IN THIS CONTEXT, PUBLIC INTEREST WAS DEFINED FAIRLY STRICTLY AND BY REFERENCE TO EFFECTS ON THE PUBLIC HEALTH,
A SINGLE SET OF OBJECTIVES WAS ADOPTED FOR THE WHOLE OF HONG KONG FOR EACH OF THE POLLUTANTS, WHICH INCLUDED SULPHUR DIOXIDE, TOTAL SUSPENDED PARTICULATES, NITROGEN DIOXIDE, CARBON MONOXIDE, PHOTOCHEMICAL OXIDANTS SUCH AS OZONE, AND LEAD.
AS REGARDS AIR CONTROL ZONES, EPCOM NOTED THAT SUCH ZONES SHOULD HAVE THEIR OWN SELF-CONTAINED CHARACTERISTICS OF AIR POLLUTANT EMISSIONS, METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND TOPOGRAPHICAL FEATURES.
IN ADDITION, PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS OF AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT ALSO MADE IT DESIRABLE THAT THE BOUNDARIES OF ZONES SHOULD APPROXIMATE THOSE OF ADMINISTRATIVE BOUNDARIES AND CARE HAD BEEN TAKEN TO MATCH THEM, WHERE POSSIBLE, WITH DISTRICT BOARD AREAS.
THE USE OF DISTRICT BOARD BOUNDARIES, WHERE THIS WAS FEASIBLE, WOULD MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO SEEK THE VIEWS OF THE BOARDS ON PERCEIVED NEEDS IN THEIR AREAS.
EPCOM AGREED THAT 10 AIR CONTROL ZONES SHOULD EVENTUALLY BE DECLARED. TSUEN WAN/KWAI CHUNG AND HARBOUR, WHICH INCLUDES THE NORTHERN SHORE OF HONG KONG ISLAND, KOWLOON PENINSULA AND KWUN TONG AREA, WILL BE THE FIRST TWO ZONES TO BE DECLARED.
/IT WAS