The Chinese capital city of Beijing Monday began to launch a nine-month campaign in a bid to rid its air pollution, the leading English newspaper China Daily reported on Tuesday.
The campaign aims to bring suspended particles under control and reduce discharge of contaminants significantly, the paper quoted sources from the Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection.
It is expected that 55 percent of days this year will reach level II index of fairly good air quality, five percentage points higher than last year, the report said.
By the end of October, Beijing should have finished renovations on 1,500 coal fired boilers to reduce an estimated 24,000 tons of pollutants.
Meanwhile, the city will consume more natural gas and electricity to minimize pollutants.
Beijing will also adopt various measures to tackle exhaust emissions from cars, the daily quoted an official from the bureau.
Motor vehicles used for over 10 years and taxis over five years are to be examined by the environmental protection and communications authorities, and vehicles not able to reach the waste release standard even after repair are forbidden to be used again.
Around 40 factories from downtown areas that pollute the environment will be removed this year, including coking, sintering, cement and lime plants of the Capital Iron and Steel Group.
By the end of June, around 4 million square meters of unused land in Beijing will be transformed into a pollution-free zone, especially along the Chang'an Avenue downtown, the airport road and the second, third and fourth ring roads.
Besides, the municipal government plans to invest 793 million yuan (US$95.5 million) this year to carry out seven sewage treatment projects to treat at least 45 percent of the city's waste water.
With four sewage treatment plants currently in operation, the capital is able to treat 1.28 million cubic meters of sewage per day, or 42 percent of waste water.
(Xinhua News Agency April 2, 2002)
