The Government welcomes the Legislative Council's passage of the Air Pollution Control (Amendment) Bill 2024 today (March 19).
To more effectively combat unlicensed specified processes operations that may cause serious air pollution, the Bill introduces a statutory closure notice mechanism. At the same time, the amendment exercise optimises the scope of "cement works" and the definition of "premises" under specified processes to avoid misinterpretation or control circumvention, such that the trade could enjoy a clearer and fairer business environment.
The amendment exercise also tightens five existing Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) and adds three parameters newly introduced by the World Health Organization (WHO) to the WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines. Among the 15 updated AQOs, seven are set at the most stringent levels of the Guidelines, which are on par with those of other advanced economies.
The Bill will come into effect on April 11, 2025.
A Government spokesman said, "Through implementing various local air pollution control measures and closely collaborating with the Guangdong Provincial Government, Hong Kong's air quality has continued to improve. Over the past two years, Hong Kong's air quality has attained the best level since its return to the motherland, and the concentrations of major air pollutants have dropped by about 40 to 80 per cent. We will continue to work with Guangdong Province to improve the air quality of the entire Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and build a beautiful bay area together."
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