Smog likely to leave us choking all weekend

Hong Kong's air pollution index yesterday hit its maximum for the ninth time this year, with pollutants stubbornly hanging around as still weather conditions enveloped southern China.

People with respiratory or heart conditions should pay close attention to pollution forecasts and warnings, and avoid spending too long outdoors, the government's environmental watchdog said.

"There will likely be a few showers today and over the weekend," a spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department said. "It is expected that pollution levels will still be higher than normal before the pollutants start to disperse."

A tropical storm edging close to southern China is unlikely to bring relief. The Observatory expects the storm, Fung-wong, to begin heading northeast towards Taiwan this afternoon.

At about 4pm yesterday, all but two of the 15 monitoring stations registered an air quality health index (AQHI) reading of 10+, the highest of the 11 levels.

Tai Po and Eastern District recorded indices of 9 and 10, respectively, at the same time.

It was the ninth time since the start of the year that at least one station shot above a reading of 10.