Hong Kong, Macao plan PM 2.5 air monitoring

Hong Kong, Macao (CNS) -- Environmental authorities in Hong Kong and Macao revealed on Tuesday that both governments will include PM 2.5 data in their air monitoring and reporting systems.

Hong Kong will set up a comprehensive system by 2014, including indexes on sulfur dioxide, breathable suspended particulates, minute suspended particulates, and nitrogen dioxide, which is similar to the systems used in Europe and the U.S.

Nineteen coordinated measures will be taken to improve air quality, including increasing the rate of natural gas used in generating electricity to 50 percent, installing emission reduction equipment, weeding out pollutants and old vehicles, and encouraging greenery around cities.

As a world-class tourism destination, Macao is especially troubled by industrial pollution. The city is currently reporting at the PM 10 level (particulate matters with a diameter smaller than 10 micrometers) in daily monitoring, in fact more than half of which are particulate matters with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM 2.5), according to a local meteorological official.

Inclusion of a PM 2.5 index by 2012 will give local residents a better idea of conditions related to air quality, said the official.