I REFER to Mr W. M. Sulke's letter which appeared in the South China Morning Post, on February 4, headlined, ''Still heading in wrong direction''.
He said that the proposed plan of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) for tackling diesel emissions is wrong-headed.
The EPD sees the most effective way to tackle diesel emissions is, firstly, in getting the small diesel vehicles to be replaced with petrol engined vehicles using unleaded petrol and catalytic converter technology.
This would eliminate the black smoke and particle pollution caused by these vehicles, which now accounts for 60 to 70 per cent of health-threatening particulate emissions in some densely populated urban areas.
Secondly, for larger vehicles, the strategy is to adopt the most stringent emissions standards which are being progressively introduced in Europe, together with bringing into Hong Kong the requisite associated cleaner fuels.
Large vehicles contribute significantly towards territory-wide ambient particulate levels causing widespread violation of our health-based air quality standards.
Mr Sulke raised two main contentions - one on emission from unleaded petrol vehicles as compared with diesel vehicle and the other on the quality of diesel fuel.