More Emphasis on Environmental Protection

89. In my 1999 Policy Address, I set the objectives for improving our air quality. At present, about 70% of our taxis have switched to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and the second batch of large dedicated LPG filling stations will come on stream by the end of this year. All franchised buses have already switched to ultra-low sulphur diesel. We can see that highly polluting vehicle emissions in the urban area have been greatly reduced. The air quality monitoring stations show that the number of instances where our air quality objectives have been exceeded has fallen by 60% between 1999 and 2000. However, we cannot be complacent. We must keep up our efforts.

90. Since September 1999, a joint study has been carried out by the SAR Government and the Guangdong Provincial People's Government to examine the problem of air pollution in the PRD. It has involved a detailed analysis of the causes of the pollution and feasible measures to improve the quality of air in the region. The study will be completed soon. Both the Governor of Guangdong, Mr Lu Ruihua, and myself attach great importance to tackling this problem. Indeed, we have agreed to reach a consensus by April next year on a plan to implement long-term measures to improve the air quality of the region.

91. Marked progress has already been made on improvements to the quality of water in our harbour and the treatment of solid waste, despite our rather late start. The Secretary for Environment and Food earlier reported on the details of her plans and she will continue to work jointly with other departments to implement these programmes.

92. As a bustling metropolis, Hong Kong also boasts a natural landscape with large green areas of countryside. However, the greening of the urban areas is far from extensive. It is irritating to see litter on some of our streets and beaches. Our public hygiene facilities leave room for improvement. In the coming year, we will deploy more resources and manpower to improve environmental hygiene and to increase our greening efforts.