Beijing’s neighbours still have worst smog in China, despite efforts to tackle air pollution
Government says problem is improving around the country, but 89 per cent of big cities on the mainland fail national air quality standards
Eight out of ten of the most polluted cities in China were still from the region around Beijing last year, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, despite the area’s joint efforts to tackle smog.
Average levels of PM2.5, the tiny particles in air pollution deemed most harmful to health, dropped from 106 micrograms per cubic metre to 93 micrograms in the Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin region in 2014, the ministry said. The national safety standard is 35.
The worst pollution in 74 big cities in China was in Hebei, neighbouring the capital.
Baoding, Xingtai, Shijiazhuang, Tangshan, Handan and Hengshui had the dirtiest air in the country, according to the ministry.
The environmental ministry said overall air quality had improved last year after the country launched a clean-up campaign to tackle smog late in 2013.
But only eight out of 74 big cities managed to meet national standards last year on a series of pollution criteria, including PM2.5 and sulphur dioxide levels.