Working to clear smoke in temples
I refer to the letter headlined 'Incensed by temple smoke' (South China Morning Post, January 26).
We have been working with the management of Hollywood Road's Man Mo Temple, Tung Wah Group of Hospitals, in the past months to address the pollution caused by the excessive burning of incense and ritual papers, particularly during festive periods.
They are implementing a number of initial measures, for example, advising visitors to reduce the amount of ritual papers and joss sticks brought into the temple, assigning staff to monitor the burning activities closely and maintaining good house-keeping inside the temple.
We are also following up with other temple operators in the area to introduce similar measures.
We will continue to press for improvement measures and to solicit support from all concerned parties to help educate temple visitors on the required changes.
DAVID T. W. WONG for Director of Environmental Protection
