Editorial | Raise awareness of air pollution hazards in Hong Kong
We can’t control the weather, but proper warnings must be issued in a timely manner so that Hongkongers can take appropriate precautions
Hong Kong’s air quality in 2022 was the best in a decade, thanks to anti-pandemic measures that shut down much social and economic activity. You would not know it from pollution and reduced visibility this week.
A return to “normal” last year, with slight increases in key pollutants, did not prepare us for plunging air quality in the past few days.
Pollution readings in more than 10 areas in Hong Kong reached the highest health-risk levels on Monday evening, as a dusty northerly airstream that picked up sand and dirt from mainland deserts brought pollutants that shrouded the city in haze.
Yeung Kwok-chung, senior scientific officer with the Observatory, said the last time Hong Kong was affected by such severe hazy weather was 15 years ago. The origins of the current pollution may have been beyond Hong Kong’s control, but it is a wake-up call.
Despite incremental improvements over the years, good air quality that enhances Hong Kong’s standing as an international financial hub and bridge to China cannot be taken for granted.
The pollution was compounded by the hottest day of the year, with temperatures reaching 33 degrees Celsius yesterday.