China to send over 100 pollution inspection teams to cities around Beijing
Experts will investigate sources of smog and advise local authorities on how to tackle the problem
China will send out over 100 environmental inspection teams to more than two dozen cities around Beijing as part of a new campaign to tackle the smog problem plaguing its northern region.
The Hebei provincial government also announced on its website on Friday that 1.8 million households would switch to natural gas from coal for fuel and heating in order to improve air quality.
The push to eradicate smog by tackling its source came after Premier Li Keqiang promised to spend “as much as it takes” in March to address the public health issue.
The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region is supposed to reduce levels of the PM2.5 particulate by more than a quarter from 2012, while the average daily concentration is to be cut to 60 micrograms per cubic metre in Beijing.
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Particulate concentration in the first half of this year went up 14.3 per cent in the northern region compared to the same time last year, mainly because of record-breaking pollution in January and February.
Speaking at a conference on Thursday, environment minister Li Ganjie said the ministry would send experts to Beijing, Tianjin and 26 other cities in Hebei, Henan, Shanxi and Shandong to look into the source of pollution in those places and to advise the local authorities on what to do about it.