ENG-2005 — Page 340

294 The Environment

completed in 2006. The model will provide an analytical tool and the necessary scientific basis for the two governments to proceed to the next phase of the Pear! River Estuary water quality management cooperation.

Legislation and Pollution Control

Hong Kong has seven ordinances to control pollution. These are the Waste Disposal Ordinance, the Water Pollution Control Ordinance, the Air Pollution Control Ordinance, the Noise Control Ordinance, the Ozone Layer Protection Ordinance, the Dumping at Sea Ordinance and the Environmental Impact Assessment Ordinance. Most of these ordinances have subsidiary regulations and other statutory provisions, such as technical memoranda, to give effect to the principal legislation.

The Government adopts a system of environmental quality objectives as a general principle in its pollution control law. The objectives are set at levels that will meet environmental goals, such as the protection of public health or the preservation of a natural ecosystem. The system aims to achieve the required environmental benefits in the most cost-effective and economically sustainable manner. Limits. imposed on polluting emissions are no more stringent or costly than is necessary to achieve the conservation goal, which also makes the maximum safe use of the environment's natural capacity to absorb and recycle waste.

In 2005, EPD inspectors made nearly 52 500 inspections to enforce control on air, noise, waste and water pollution. These included regular checks on environmental compliance and investigations of pollution complaints from the community. The enforcement work resulted in 300 prosecutions and nearly $2.7 million in fines. To streamline enforcement from a customer-oriented perspective and to enhance efficiency, the EPD has implemented integrated enforcement operations and uses multi-skilled teams in each district to look at all types of pollution in any single site inspection and enforce anti-pollution laws.

Apart from law enforcement, the EPD has developed partnership programmes with various trades such as the construction industry, the catering industry, the vehicle repair trade and the property management sector to promote good environmental practices and compliance with pollution control regulations.

Air Pollution

Air quality in Hong Kong is typical of any large modern city. Diesel emissions and fine dust in the urban areas are the most pressing problems. As a result of various measures taken to reduce emissions from motor vehicles, the roadside air quality is improving. Between 1999 and 2005, the concentrations of respirable suspended particulates and nitrogen oxides, the two major air pollutants at the roadside, declined by 14 per cent and 17 per cent, respectively.

Hong Kong's objectives for air quality are comparable with standards adopted in developed countries. Hong Kong is closely monitoring the latest overseas developments in air quality standards.