Friends of the Earth said haze blanketed the city on more than twice as many days last year than in 1997, when the former British colony reverted to Chinese rule.

Hong Kongers also produced more rubbish and used more water and electricity in 2006 than 10 years ago despite a relatively small increase in population, according to research carried out by the group.

"Hong Kong's population has only increased by 5.9 percent in the past decade. But waste production, electricity and water consumption have all seen double digit increases," said Edwin Lau, director of the group in Hong Kong.

Lau said the figures showed the government was failing to live up to the sustainable development principles it claimed to espouse for the Asian financial hub of almost seven million people.

"The government is too focused on the economy at the expense of environmental and social issues," he said.

Lau said the most worrying trend was the deteriorating air quality which was harming the city's reputation abroad.

The international airport and the rest of the city suffered haze on one in three days last year compared with just one in nine in 1997.

"The airport is the first step for tourists. It is shaming to welcome tourists with a grey face every three days," he said.

The smog has been blamed in part on numerous factories and industries near Shenzhen, a booming city just across the border from Hong Kong.

Lau said Hong Kong's biggest tourist draw, the world famous Victoria Harbour, risked being increasingly obscured by the smog.

"Our treasures are being hidden under a blanket of pollution. The government needs to take action to reveal the true beauty of Hong Kong," he said.

As well as the pollution, the study found Hong Kong residents generated more than 25 percent more rubbish in 2006 than in 1997.

Average electricity consumption increased by 18 percent in the last decade, while water consumption went up 16 percent.

And Hong Kong's power stations emitted 35 percent more greenhouse gases last year than in 1997.

All rights reserved. � 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.