Smog-plagued city sets ambitious pollution control target
Xinhua, February 15, 2017 Adjust font size:
Shijiazhuang, a city in northern China chronically plagued by smog, aims to cut the fine particle density of its air by more than 20 percent.
The government of Shijiazhuang, capital of northern China's Hebei Province, just passed an air pollution prevention action plan for 2017.
According to the plan, Shijiazhuang will bring its average density of PM 2.5, fine particles measuring no more than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, down by 20.2 percent. By the end of this year, PM 2.5 density is expected to drop to 79 micrograms per cubic meter.
The city will cut iron production by 520,000 tons and reduce cement production by at least 3.5 million tons this year.
The use of coal will be replaced by gas and electricity in downtown Shijiazhuang, and clean coal will be encouraged in rural areas.
In order to meet the pollution target, 770 industrial companies, including those in cement, forging and chemical industries, will have to limit production. Endi