Update | Hong Kong pollution soars as city experiences smoggiest day of the year
Index equals previous smoggiest day as authorities say pollution will linger over weekend
Hongkongers awoke to one of the smoggiest days of the year on Friday as weather conditions left the city choking on pollution that represented a 'serious risk' to health.
Health officials advise that members of the public "reduce to the minimum" the amount of time they spend outside, particularly in areas of heavy traffic, when the pollution level is “serious".
Employers of outdoor workers are also advised to take appropriate procedures to reduce the risk to their employees.
The EPD last year replaced its old pollution index called API with the air quality health index, which calculates the hospital admission risks brought about by air pollutants. The AQHI index has five categories from “low”, “high” and “very high” to “serious”.
"The intense sunshine and high temperature have enhanced photochemical smog activities and formation of ozone during the daytime, resulting in higher pollution levels," the EPD said in a press release. "Light winds in the urban areas hinder the effective dispersion of the pollutants at street level leading to higher than normal nitrogen dioxide level."
According to the Hong Kong Observatory, there will likely be a few showers today and over the weekend, but the EPD said it expected pollution levels will remain higher than normal for the next few days.
The last time the AQHI monitoring stations hit “serious” was on June 8 – which was Hong Kong’s smoggiest day of the year so far.