Beijing, neighbors intensify air pollution treatment this year

Beijing and its neighbors have pledged to intensify efforts in cutting air pollution to meet the target of lowering the average annual PM2.5 density in the region to about 60 micrograms per cubic meter this year.

Beijing plans to invest 18 billion yuan (2.6 billion U.S. dollars) in air pollution treatment this year. The capital will cut coal consumption by 3 million tonnes, shut down at least 500 manufacturing and polluting plants and strictly supervise heavy diesel vehicles, according to a coordinating meeting on air pollution treatment in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and neighboring regions Tuesday.

Tianjin will supply gasoline and diesel that comply with the National VI standard in September. The port city will set up environmental protection units at the township and sub-district levels to push pollution treatment.

Besides cutting excess capacity in sectors such as steel and glass, Hebei Province will replace coal with clean energy for more than 1 million households in the cities of Langfang and Baoding by the end of October.

In January, partly due to unfavorable weather conditions, the PM2.5 density of 13 cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region reached 128micrograms per cubic meter, up 43.8 percent year on year.

Minister of Environmental Protection Chen Jining urged solid implementation of the measures to achieve remarkable air quality improvement. He said the ministry would launch inspections to push local authorities to fulfill their duties in environmental protection. Endi