Not as bad as mainland: ECA International general manager Lee
Quane said that for Asian employees, Hong Kong was falling behind
cities such as Oslo, San Francisco and Washington it had previously
beaten. “However. it is still ranked more favourably than mainland
Chinese cities,” he said.
KL drops a notch: Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital
occasionally blanketed by smoke from Indonesian forest fire, also
dropped down in the survey because of air pollution.
Survey criteria: The ECA survey is based on assessment of
criteria such as crime and climate, not on the opinions of employees or
on financial costs.
Blame Guangdong: Hong Kong’s pollution, blown in from the
factories, vehicles and power stations of the neighbouring Chinese
province of Guangdong, has worsened but authorities have been slow to
respond and are reluctant to confront their counterparts in Guangdong
and Beijing.
High pollution score: Air Pollution is given 20 out of a total
Of 330 Points in the ranking system (with the highest score being the
worst). Hong Kong’s air pollution score is 14 compared with two for
Singapore.
Unpopular Baghdad: For expatriates, the worst cities ranked in the survey were Baghdad, Kabul and Karachi.
The Australian, 4/4/2006
Source: Erisk Net