Q How can environmental awareness be improved?
No matter how dedicated the government has been to controlling air pollution, the poor environmental awareness and inconsiderate actions among drivers, especially truck drivers, means that the situation will not improve.
My neighbourhood is a hustle-bustle district with heavy traffic flow. During the day, when trucks are unloading goods, drivers keep the engines running, filling the air with fumes.
People have to cover their mouths with their hands to keep off the dusty air. Even when the traffic is not busy at night, some selfish drivers park their trucks on the roadside and take a rest without turning off the engine.
Vehicle emissions are a health threat to the residents in the area. Sometimes I feel like going over to the drivers and ordering them to switch off the engines. However, the law does not empower me to do so and I have never seen the police order the drivers to turn off engines when they park their vehicles on the roadside.
The fumes from vehicles, like cigarette smoke, poses a severe health risk. I sincerely hope that the government can be more proactive in dealing with this problem - as it is now doing with its anti-smoking campaign - and help us breathe fresher and cleaner air every day.