Beijing to step up efforts to combat smog after red alert

The first red alert for smog in Beijing was lifted on Thursday as wind cleared up the sky, but officials will now step up anti-smog efforts, rather than just wait for wind.

Li Shixiang, vice mayor of Beijing, said that the current number of 36 air quality monitoring stations would be doubled. "Mobile monitoring vehicles will also be used," he said.

While talking about improving the air quality, he told the press plans to reduce the consumption of coal, limit the use of automobiles, cut industrial pollution and control dust from construction sites.

Beijing has a budget of 770 billion yuan from 2013 to combat smog until 2017, Li said.

The density of PM 2.5, tiny and particularly hazardous airborne particles, averaged 74 microgramme per cubic meter in the first 11 months this year, down by 16.6 percent from last year.

Officials from Beijing's neighboring Hebei and Tianjin were also present at the press conference to talk about cross-regional smog cooperation.

"We should improve the system for early warning and forecasting," said Yin Hailin, vice mayor of Tianjin.

Yang Chongyong, executive vice governor of Hebei, noted that emergency measures could lower the pollution level by 20 to 30 percent. "We should have more information exchanges and take timely measures," he said.

Beijing issued its first red alert for air pollution on Monday since the four-tier emergency response system was created in October 2013.

Smartphone air quality apps, popular among Beijingers, showed an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of more than 200 for almost all monitoring stations across the city.

During the alert, schools have been closed, work at 3,500 outdoor construction sites suspended, and 2,100 factories were ordered to halt operations. Beijing also closed several highway sections to reduce traffic.

The municipal environment protection bureau inspected 587 major pollutant dischargers on Tuesday and found 38 of them had not followed orders to suspend production.

Emergency measures cut pollutant emissions in Beijing by 30 percent on the first day of the red alert, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Li Shixiang believed that law enforcement should also be improved. "There are enterprises that close while you check them and open soon after you leave," he said. Endi