West China's "Smog City" Improves Air QualityLanzhou, one of China's worst polluted cities, capital of west China's Gansu Province, and once known as a "smog city," has reported significant improvements in air quality.According to the latest official report, 91.8 percent of the city's enterprises have met the state standard for environmental protection. The city's daily emission of sulfur dioxide and carbon dioxide has also been below the state standards since the beginning of the year. At the same time, Lanzhou has succeeded in controlling its emission of soot and industrial dust to below the 1995 level. However, the city still has to suffer through 20 weeks of highly polluted air each year. Last year, the days that the city suffered the most from air pollution was 25 weeks. Experts attribute the air pollution in Lanzhou largely to the popular use of coal. Since 1998 Lanzhou has launched a drive to decrease its dependence on coal. At present, over half of the residents in the city are now using gas instead of coal. |
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