The Pearl River Delta Regional air quality monitoring network - Regional collaborative efforts on joint air quality management

In November 2005 the Guangdong and Hong Kong governments established the Pearl River Delta regional air quality monitoring network ("PRD RAQMN"), which represented the first joint regional air pollution and reporting effort in this rapidly developing and heavy-polluted area in southern China. This project has recorded the air quality trends during the 11th Five-Year Plan (FYP), implemented between 2006 and 2010, and will continue to do so throughout the period of economic development and stringent emission control of coal-fired power plants and vehicles that are part of the 12th FYP, to be implemented between 2011 and 2015. The PRD RAQMN serves as a role model for cooperation among local administrative authorities, as well as for the joint prevention and management of air pollution. The PRD RAQMN demonstrates that regional collaboration is critical to address the air pollution problems that China faces in a more effective manner.