bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

SCMP Reporter

At midnight, readings in Central peaked at 156, the seventh-highest level ever recorded

Much of Hong Kong yesterday entered the New Year under a thick layer of smog as pollution levels soared.

As thousands of partygoers jammed the streets and counted down to 2004 at Lan Kwai Fong in Central and Times Square in Causeway Bay, the pollution index peaked in those areas almost unnoticed.

At the roadside air quality monitoring station at the junction of Chater Road and Des Voeux Road in Central, the pollution index rose to the day's peak of 156 at  midnight on New Year's Eve.

It was the seventh-highest  roadside reading ever recorded.

When the air quality reading exceeds 100, people with respiratory and heart problems are advised not to spend too much time outdoors.

After midnight, the reading gradually dropped, hovering at the 120 level during yesterday afternoon.

At roadside stations in Causeway Bay and Mongkok, the readings hit 123 and 135, respectively, at midnight.

Poor air quality levels were also recorded at other air monitoring stations, with readings of 148 at Kwai Chung and 124 at Central, at 2am.

The  grey layer of air pollutants failed to disperse, with smog hovering over Victoria Harbour for much of the day.

The smog also blanketed the harbour, cutting visibility drastically.

According to the Environmental Protection Department, the smog consisted mainly of  nitrogen dioxide and  suspended particles generated by vehicles.

During the winter, the air quality is affected by both locally produced pollutants and regional smog, as northerly winds bring pollutants southward from Guangdong.

The Hong Kong Observatory said the territory was affected by moderate northeasterly and easterly winds and fine, dry weather.

Last week, Guangdong province also suffered a similar smog problem in cities including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan and Zhaoqing.

Between December 22 and 25, the pollution reading hit over 150 which, according to the mainland's scale, is a medium level of air pollution.

Hong Kong's worst air pollution last year was a reading of 182 at Mongkok on November 3.

The government has said smog is a regional problem that needs to be tackled by cross-border co-operation.



Grey, polluted skies usher in the New Year