Pearl River Delta
After signing an agreement with the Hong Kong government to reduce waste gas emissions, Guangdong province is struggling to deliver the goods.
According to standards set by the central government in 2005, Guangdong province is required to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions and its demand for chemical oxygen by 15 per cent before 2010.
At present, less than two years before the deadline, sulphur dioxide emissions have been cut by only 60 per cent of the target, while chemical oxygen demand is still 65 per cent short of the objective.
Guangdong province's vice-governor, Xie Qianghua, admitted that, at its current pace, there's a good chance the province will not be able to meet the target set by Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Of 21 cities in Guangdong, only nine have managed to reach the waste gas emission standards for both sulphur dioxide and chemical oxygen demand.