War against smog being won, insists top official
Clear skies, high visibility and a fresh breeze offered beleaguered Olympic organisers breathing space to declare some good news yesterday: the war on smog is being won.
'The air is better by 20 per cent,' Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau deputy director Du Shaozhong said. 'We have seen comprehensive measures implemented, and we've seen that they have had comprehensive results.'
Dr Du repeated a standard raft of statistics that suggest this month had enjoyed '25 days of clean air', though to the eye Beijing was enveloped in smog for most of the month.
A blanket of smog that had hung over the city for the past four days - and marred Sunday's opening of the Olympic Village - dissipated thanks to overnight thunderstorms and increased wind. They lent contrast and definition to Beijing's new skyline and eye-catching Olympic venues.
Rare views of the surrounding mountains also gave credence to Dr Du's claim that the blend of short-term measures introduced recently was now working.