Hong Kong polluted by government neglect
If the government was so eager to throw money away in its budget turnaround - a desperate attempt to appease the public - why didn't it spend the HK$36 billion on something that would be popular, beneficial to health and enhance Hong Kong's international standing?
In other words, why not reduce roadside pollution? It is roadside pollution which accounts for most of the pollution that people suffer.
There have been various studies in Hong Kong showing that it has a harmful effect on health and a report in The Lancet journal recently said air pollution - particularly roadside pollution - triggers more heart attacks than using cocaine and poses a similar risk of heart attacks as alcohol, coffee and physical exertion.
About 80 per cent to 90 per cent of Hong Kong's roadside pollution is caused by buses and trucks, with 3 per cent produced by private cars. Christine Loh Kung-wai's (right) Civic Exchange has estimated it would cost HK$147.5 million to compensate franchised bus companies to scrap buses with Euro I and Euro II emission-standard engines. These emit almost twice the pollutants of Euro III engines.
Civic Exchange also did a study showing that if the government provided a subsidy of HK$1.6 billion then non-franchised buses and trucks with Euro I engines and earlier could also be scrapped. This is a drop in the bucket for the government, which has more cash than it knows what to do with.