China’s air quality worsens as national PM2.5 level rises 5.2 per cent in January and February
- Just 83 of 337 cities monitored meet national standard in first two months of 2019, according to environment ministry survey
- Average PM2.5 reading in 28 cities in pollution control region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei more than 10 times WHO’s safe level
China’s average concentrations of lung-damaging particles known as PM2.5 rose by 5.2 per cent in the first two months of the year, the environment ministry said on Thursday, casting doubt over the country’s ability to meet its winter targets.
The nation’s average PM2.5 reading came in at 61 micrograms per cubic metre for January and February, according to a Ministry of Ecology and Environment survey of 337 cities, with only 83 reaching the national standard of 35mcg.
Levels of PM2.5 in 28 cities in the key pollution control region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei rose 24 per cent over the two-month period from the same time a year ago to an average of 108mcg, almost 11 times the 10mcg recommended as safe by the World Health Organisation.
Meanwhile, PM2.5 levels in the 11 cities of the Fenwei Plain, another major smog control zone, increased by 26.6 per cent over the period, hitting an average of 119mcg.
China forced smog-prone northern cities to implement special emissions restrictions from October to March to offset rising levels of coal combustion from state heating systems during the winter.
But Reuters calculations based on official data showed that PM2.5 readings in the 39 key northern cities still rose 13 per cent over the October-February period.