Mr. Man Chi Sum, chief executive officer of Green Power, said, "At the very beginning, the Environmental Protection Department assumed the Air Pollution Index would exceed 100 no more than 10 times a year."
However, now the index usually exceeds 100 almost 10 times a month.
Even the general public who have little idea of figures and statistics can feel how bad the air quality has become.
Mr. Paul Ho, an 18-year-old teenager, has lived in Fa Yuen Street in Mongkok since he was small. He found air quality deteriorating.
Since there are always a lot of people and vehicles on the streets near his flat, Mr. Ho has to close the windows of his bedroom all the time. Air is then trapped and the ventilation is not good.
Living in such an environment, Mr. Ho, who has asthma and other respiratory diseases, cannot fully recover.
A report called "Heading towards sustainability?" was released by the Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management of the University of Hong Kong in January. The report predicts that in 15 years, the air would be too bad to sustain a healthy life.
However, the situation cannot be improved in the near future.
According to the report, the government's current efforts could only slow down the air deterioration, but not improve it.
The report points out that instead of extending the Mass Transit Railway to southern Hong Kong Island, the government plans to build a new highway, Route 7. This will increase air pollution by vehicles.
Redevelopment plans for Kai Tak also fail to introduce environmentally friendly transport systems such as trams and electric trolley buses.
Mr. Man agreed that the government does not have a strong intention to improve the situation.
He said the application of cleaner liquefied petroleum gas in taxis is too slow.
Said he: "Only 150 of the total 18,000 taxis will use LPG next year."
Moreover, the use of lead-free petrol was not compulsory until this month. In contrast, all vehicles in Guangzhou have been using the petrol since November 1998.
In fact, a systematic and integrated approach among government departments is urgently needed.
According to Mr. Man, the recent increase in the number of vehicles of the New World First Bus and the Citybus accelerates air pollution.
Increasing vehicles expand the companies' market share, but they also increase the chance of traffic jams, creating more air pollutants. Respirable Suspended Particulates released by a stopped vehicle is four times more than a moving one.
Mr. Man said the Transport Department should take the responsibility to ease this problem.
Responding to the criticism, Mr. Leung Pak Ming, principal environmental protection officer of the Environmental Protection Department, said the government has been working very hard on the issue.
"For example," said Mr. Leung, "we have introduced the use of LPG for taxis. This successfully reduces the emission of Respirable Suspended Particulates by 30 percent."
Mr. Leung also said there is a good communication between different departments.
He said, "Different departments are working together. All future developments planned by the Planning Department should meet the basic environmental requirements.
"This is actually required by law."
To improve the environment, improvement of the transport system is necessary.
Electric trolley buses, tethered electric vehicles and the use of compressed natural gas in heavy vehicles can be encouraged.
Mr. Man said there could also be some short-term solutions.
For instance, the police can ask drivers to drive away their cars if too many vehicles stop on the roads.
There is one thing for sure: the government should take immediate and proper actions.
Fresh air is vital to the health of people in Hong Kong. It also affects tourism as tourists would not want to visit a city blurred by smog.
Miss Mo Man Ying, 46, a housewife, said she would move to Australia though she has never been there. She thinks the large continent has far fewer people and plenty of fresh air.
Mr. Tai Yen Ming, 55, a civil servant, said he would return to his homeland village in China. He finds the air much cleaner there. Sixteen-year-old Wong Mei Nga, a fifth former, preferred to live on a remote island. She thinks that life would be quiet there.
Miss Lau Pui Wah, 19, a university student, said she would move to Singapore. She thinks the city is very clean.
