Northern China’s Hebei province home to six of 10 smoggiest cities, environment ministry says
Provincial capital Shijiazhuang saw the highest average reading in all of China last year for harmful PM2.5 particles
Six of China’s 10 smoggiest cities in 2017 were in the northern province of Hebei, unchanged from the previous year, despite a campaign to improve air quality during the winter when smog levels peak, the environment ministry said on Thursday.
Hebei, the country’s biggest steel producing region, was part of a special six-month crackdown aimed at reducing smog build-ups in the cold season, which is when coal consumption traditionally surges to run boilers for heating, resulting in an increase in harmful air pollutants.
According to figures published by the Ministry of Environmental Protection, Hebei’s provincial capital Shijiazhuang saw the highest average reading in all of China last year of particulate matter with a width of 2.5 microns, known as PM2.5, which is easily inhaled into the lungs to cause respiratory damage.
Hebei’s smog levels also have an effect on China’s capital Beijing as the province surrounds the city.
Also among China’s 10 worst performing cities were the Hebei cities of Tangshan – the world’s biggest steel producing city – Handan, Xingtai, Baoding and Hengshui.
