1st Ld-Writethru: China Focus: 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 the wind to blow.

Li Shixiang, vice mayor of Beijing, told a press conference 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 of plans to reduce the consumption of coal, limit the use of automobiles, cut industrial pollution and control dust from construction sites.

Beijing set a budget of 770 billion yuan (120 billion U.S. dollars) in 2013 to combat smog until 2017, Li said.

The density of PM 2.5, tiny and particularly hazardous airborne particles, averaged 74 microgrammes 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 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.

On Monday, Beijing issued its first red alert for air pollution 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 was suspended, and 2,100 factories were ordered to halt operations. Beijing also closed several highway sections to reduce traffic. These emergency measures cut pollutants in Beijing by 30 percent on the first day of the red alert, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

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

Without any emergency measures, the density of PM 2.5 would be 10 percent higher than the current level, said Cheng Shuiyuan of Beijing University of Technology.

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.

Speaking of the costs involved in reducing emissions, Li Jisheng, head of Taiyuan environment inspection squad said, "A 300,000-kilowatt power station can save 200,000 yuan each day if it stops using desulfurization and dedusting equipment. It is not a small amount when the economy is slowing and enterprises are having difficulty making profits."

The key to reducing pollution is to adjust the industrial and energy structure, rather than suspending operation of a few plants, said Zhang Liang, an engineer with Hebei environmental emergency and pollution warning center.

Loose control of coal burning in the rural-urban fringe zones in Beijing, Tianjin and neighboring provinces where residents burn coal for cooking and heating contributed to the air pollution, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Endi