Chinese coal city Datong to set up ‘no-coal zones’ amid pollution battle

Datong, a major coal-producing city in northern China’s Shanxi province, will establish “no-coal zones” in urban districts as part of its efforts to curb pollution, the provincial government said on Thursday.

The Shanxi government said the restrictions would cover 102 sq km (39 square miles) and would include bans on the storage, sale and direct combustion of all kinds of coal. Coal-fired power and central heating systems will still be permitted.

It said 16,200 households in Datong would switch to cleaner gas heating this winter and that it had already demolished 3,812 coal-fired boilers.

Datong was one of China’s major coal producing regions for decades, but many of its collieries are now depleted.

Overmining has contaminated the city’s soil and underground water tables, as well as causing devastating subsidence. That has left large parts of its old mining districts unfit for farming or construction.

The city was also ranked as one of the country’s worst performers when it came to meeting water quality standards in the first half of this year.