Fewer days of dirty air in Hong Kong in 2018, green group says – but it’s not all good news, especially for those in western parts
- Over past five years, towns in western areas fared the worst, with Tuen Mun the most polluted district for the fifth consecutive year
- Despite overall improvement, relatively cleaner districts have also become more polluted, Green Power says
Hongkongers may have spent fewer days breathing in unhealthy air last year, according to a green group’s analysis of official data.
Green Power’s findings came as the Environmental Protection Department was expected to release its annual summary of overall air quality for 2018 on Friday.
According to the group’s analysis of a year of data from the department’s 13 roadside and ambient air quality monitoring stations, Hong Kong experienced at least 60 days where pollution corresponded to a “high” health risk, or a “7” on the 11-tier Air Quality Health Index.
That was lower than the 82 days logged in 2017 and the 77-day yearly average over the past four years.
In terms of total hours, there were 2,292 last year when the index was a 7 or higher, down from 3,413 in 2017 and below the recent average of 2,982.