Air quality network in bid to clear away the haze
Source: Xinhua |
March 16, 2013, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
SOME Chinese cities are shrouded in haze more than 200 days a year, prompting the government to kick-start a nationwide air quality monitoring network, a senior environment official said yesterday.
Nearly 950 monitoring stations are expected to be operational in 190 Chinese cities by the end of the year, Wu Xiaoqing, vice minister of environmental protection, said.
There are plans to build about 440 air quality observation points in 116 cities this year after 496 such points were built in 74 cities in 2012, Wu said at a press conference on the sidelines of China's ongoing parliamentary session.
The network, which will publish real-time monitoring data, offers an effective means of supervision for local governments to tackle air pollution, he said.
Wu also underlined the serious pollution in south China's Pearl River Delta, east China's Yangtze River Delta, and north China's Beijing and Tianjin cities, the three major economic powerhouses of China.
The three areas cover about 8 percent of China's landmass but discharge five times more pollutants per square kilometer than other areas, which worsens air pollution in these places, Wu said.
Those areas have more than 100 hazy days every year.
In some cities, there are more than 200 days with haze a year, he said.
By 2015, the environmental protection ministry aims to reduce the intensity of the tiny and hazardous PM2.5 particles in those three regions by 6 percent from the 2010 level, he said.
Wu said it was working with other departments to establish an assessment mechanism to ensure the target is met.
Beijing experienced just five days with clear skies in January, according to the capital's weather bureau.
Nearly 950 monitoring stations are expected to be operational in 190 Chinese cities by the end of the year, Wu Xiaoqing, vice minister of environmental protection, said.
There are plans to build about 440 air quality observation points in 116 cities this year after 496 such points were built in 74 cities in 2012, Wu said at a press conference on the sidelines of China's ongoing parliamentary session.
The network, which will publish real-time monitoring data, offers an effective means of supervision for local governments to tackle air pollution, he said.
Wu also underlined the serious pollution in south China's Pearl River Delta, east China's Yangtze River Delta, and north China's Beijing and Tianjin cities, the three major economic powerhouses of China.
The three areas cover about 8 percent of China's landmass but discharge five times more pollutants per square kilometer than other areas, which worsens air pollution in these places, Wu said.
Those areas have more than 100 hazy days every year.
In some cities, there are more than 200 days with haze a year, he said.
By 2015, the environmental protection ministry aims to reduce the intensity of the tiny and hazardous PM2.5 particles in those three regions by 6 percent from the 2010 level, he said.
Wu said it was working with other departments to establish an assessment mechanism to ensure the target is met.
Beijing experienced just five days with clear skies in January, according to the capital's weather bureau.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
