Kaohsiung keeps status as Taiwanese city with worst air pollution

高雄空汙嚴重居六都之冠

According to US standards, only 4 parts of Taiwan have clean air

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Kaohsiung has had the worst air pollution of all cities and counties in Taiwan for three years running, according to a survey published by an environmentalist action group Thursday (Jan. 2).

The southern industrial and port city recorded an average PM2.5 value of 26.1 micrograms of cubic meter per air in 2019, said Air Clean Taiwan (ACT, 台灣空氣健康行動聯盟).

The activists called on the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) to follow the example of the United States and put the threshold for clean air at a maximum of 12 micrograms per cubic meter, down from the 15.4 still in force now, UDN reported.

If the new standard were applied, only the counties of Yilan and Taitung, as well as Yangmingshan National Park in Taipei City and the Hengchun Peninsula in Pingtung County would be counted as having clean air.

The four worst areas for PM2.5 air pollution were all located in the south last year, with Kaohsiung followed by Pingtung County, Chiayi City and Tainan City, with the top-5 completed by the offshore island of Kinmen showing a value of 23.7.

The latest edition of the survey, which had been conducted for the past nine years, relied on data provided by 76 measuring stations nationwide, ACT said. The average for all of Taiwan stood at 19.8 micrograms for last year.

The presence of petrochemical industry, steel plants and a coal-fired power station had all contributed to Kaohsiung’s place at the top of the pollution list for three years running, according to ACT.