Coal-rich province reports 23 pct PM2.5 decline

TAIYUAN, Jan. 26 (Xinhua) -- North China's coal-rich province of Shanxi has seen the concentration of PM2.5 fall 23.4 percent from the level in 2013, authorities said Thursday.

The province used to be one of the worst polluted in China, with an economy relying heavily on mining, coking, steel, coal and chemical industries.

In 2017 alone, authorities in Shanxi shut down more than 7,400 polluting firms and dismantled 11,000 small coal-fired boilers.

More than 1 million households in the province have switched from coal to gas or electricity for heating, and 60 percent of buses and 20 percent of taxis have been replaced by new energy vehicles. Enditem