Hundreds of residents of Nantou County’s Puli Township (埔里) yesterday staged a demonstration to raise awareness about elevated levels of PM2.5 — fine particles less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter — detected in the area, urging the Nantou County Government to join a coalition of central and southern counties pledging to ban the use of petroleum coke and coal.
Data produced by the Puli air-quality survey station showed that the majority of hourly PM2.5 concentrations were above level 10 on its scale yesterday, representing 71 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter of air, which according to the Environmental Protection Administration’s (EPA) Web site is “extremely high.”
In addition, daily PM2.5 concentrations last month indicated that the township saw 26 days on which the value exceeded 35 micrograms per cubic meter of air — the EPA’s recommended value.
The daily average last month often exceeded 50 micrograms and on two days exceeded 80 micrograms.
Citing the WHO, Taiwan Healthy Air Action Alliance founder Yeh Guang-peng (葉光芃) said that PM2.5 concentrations of 25 micrograms or above represent a threat to public health.
Taiwan Academy of Ecology director Yang Kuo-cheng (楊國禎) said that Puli, like Taichung, is located in a natural basin, making it susceptible to air pollution from the nearby Taichung Power Plant, which he said is the largest coal-fired power plant in Asia.
He said that Puli is not an industrial town, but still suffers the effects of pollution, which demonstrates that air pollution is not confined to the area of its origin. He called on local and national governments to work together and take action to curb air pollution.
In a joint statement, the environmental groups participating in the demonstration called on the Nantou County Government to set up a committee to monitor efforts to prevent air pollution and to commit to banning the use of coal and petroleum coke, thereby joining Yunlin, Chiayi and Nantou counties as well as Tainan and Taichung in a campaign to ban the materials.
Environmental Monitoring and Information Management Director-General Tsai Hung-teh (蔡鴻德) said PM2.5 found in Puli mainly originates in Taichung and municipalities along the western coast and then is carried into the area by ocean air currents.
He said factory emissions account for between 20 and 30 percent of PM2.5 and that mitigation efforts also rely on a change in residents’ habits, adding that people should take public transportation more often, barbeque less and refrain from burning ghost money during rituals to venerate ancestors and deities.
A plan to ban old scooters is being considered by the EPA, as fumes emitted by vehicles are a major source of PM2.5, accounting for about 36 percent of the overall quantity, he said.
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