Pollution in Guangdong DecreasingOfficials announced Monday that heavy pollution in Guangdong province is decreasing, which is good news for nearby Hong Kong.The province's air pollution index has dropped by 0.3 points compared with last year, and air quality in 14 cities has improved remarkably, said Xu Deli, deputy governor of Guangdong. Over the past 20 years, Guangdong has been experiencing fast industrialization as Hong Kong and Southeast Asian businessmen moved their factories into the province, where labor is cheap. But the environment has paid the price. Hong Kong media have complained of more and more pollution-hazy days, and factory smoke often wafts over from the interior land. Guangdong last year closed 500 enterprises that were heavy polluters, and adopted anti-pollution measures in 1,100 industrial projects, Xu said. He also revealed that the province has invested more than 10 billion yuan (1.2 billion U.S. dollars) to curb air and water pollution. The situation is still extremely serious, according to Xu, citing the threats of vehicle emission, acid rain and garbage. He noted that the province aims to create a sound ecological management system by 2005. |
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