Shanghai to offer 24-hour PM2.5 forecast

Shanghai will start making PM2.5 forecast later this year, initially offering 24-hour prediction, then upgrading it to 48-hour forecast, Zhang Quan, director of Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau, said today.

PM2.5 refers to air-borne particle matters smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, which are the main cause of urban smog and are harmful to human health.

Only 59 days or 65.6 percent of days in the first quarter were not polluted. Air quality in January was the lowest since Shanghai introduced the PM2.5 air quality monitoring, mainly because of smog and haze that smothered a large part of China.

The city recorded 10 heavy-pollution days in the first quarter, Zhang said.

He said Shanghai will take a number of measures to cut PM2.5 emissions, such as adopting the National Emission Standard V, equivalent to Euro V standard, for new cars this year and stepping up control of high-polluting vehicles.

He said the national government is also considering charging an emission tax on factories.

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