Beijing Rigorous on Air Pollution ControlBeijing is determined to clean up its environment by extending a rigorous policy to air pollution.Yu Xiaoxuan, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection, announced Monday that Beijing has entered the sixth phase of the air pollution control project, which was started in 1999. The current 7-month phase is aimed to ensure Beijing a 50- strong percent of the days with grade II or good air quality by the end of this year. According to the official, the air quality of more than 48 percent of the days in 2000 reached grade II or good quality. People could see blue sky, breathe cleaner air, and eye twinkling stars more frequently than before. Statistics show that the sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, suspended particles, and carbon monoxide in the air last year dropped by 11 percent, 8 percent, 3 percent and 7 percent, respectively from the figure in 1999. The city has introduced clean fuel to replace the traditional pollutive one. Beijing consumed more than one billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2000, making it the biggest city in China using natural gas as the principal fuel. Control of exhaust fumes has also been extended from cars to trucks, diesel cars, and heavy-duty vehicles. To reduce suspended particles, Beijing has greened one-third of its land areas. And construction companies are asked to handle their materials and dispose of garbage properly to avoid dust emissions. |
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