Beijing enjoys best winter air quality in five years
Authorities’ ban on residents burning coal for heating, tighter controls on polluting factories pay dividends in Chinese capital
Beijing residents witnessed the city’s best winter air quality in five years this month, thanks to favourable weather and tough air pollution controls.
There was a stretch of 25 consecutive days during which the air quality was rated “excellent” or “good”, a record for the past five years, and on the rare days when smog has appeared it has dispersed more quickly and been less severe.
On the first smoggy day this month, December 2, the daily average level of PM2.5 – respirable suspended particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less that can be carcinogenic – was 202 micrograms per cubic metre of air.
The second smog attack came on Thursday and Friday, with the government issuing a blue warning that the air would be “heavily polluted”. The PM2.5 level was above 200 at some monitoring sites in Beijing on Thursday and at all sites in the capital on Friday.
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The air improved significantly from Saturday and is expected to remain “excellent” or “good” tomorrow, the first day of the new year.