How long is the Hong Kong government going to avoid confronting China about the pollution? We have steadily been declining in air quality thanks to our proximity to the mainland and the Northern winds that carry nitrogen dioxide and particulates over into the territory. By the way, this measurement is not accurate because the air quality monitors maxed out.
Air quality in Central yesterday. Source: EPD
You can read qir quality readings here:
You can find the EPD's recommended precautionary measures for air quality measurements here:
The Hong Kong government has kindly advised us to stay indoors until the pollution disperses, rather than confronting the cause of this toxic haze. How many times have we heard the troubling lack of visibility due to pollution as "haze" and "fog"? How brown and murky does it have to get before something is done? It seems rather silly to issue smoking restrictions when the bigger health problem is widely ignored.
Aside from being concerned that I could not see the other side of the harbour from my window yesterday, I noticed during a four hour site inspection that my eyes would not stop watering. I was under a bridge and out of direct sunlight for most of the inspection, yet my eyes were watering like I was staring at the sun. I had tears rolling down my cheeks. This was obviously worrying, and my dismay turned to disgust when I saw that the HK government entirely ignored the source of the problem in all of their reports.
Personally, I would like to thank the mainland for this smog blanket that has so snugly and warmly enveloped Hong Kong. 2015 is positioning itself to be the year of the nuclear winter.
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