Technology playing key role in discovery of air polluters

China has seen digital technology play a significant role in helping unearth violations related to air pollution, said Pei Xiaofei, a spokesman with the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

Based on data collected by satellite remote sensing, the country's air quality monitoring network, automated pollutant source monitoring and electricity consumption monitoring, the ministry has developed a series of algorithm models to help identify violations, he told a news conference on Tuesday.

Currently, the identification rate of these models has reached 85 percent, he noted.

He said the technology has been applied in the ministry's campaign to support local governments in key regions in air pollution management during the fall and winter months.

"With historical transformation in air quality over the past decade, China is the country that has registered the fastest improvement in air quality. Despite that, some regions still frequently suffer heavy air pollution in autumn and winter due to increases in air pollutant emissions and unfavorable meteorological conditions (for the disposal of air pollutants)," he said.

Many families in northern China, for instance, use coal to warm their homes, which contributes a large amount of air pollutants.

Following clues identified by these models, he said, local authorities have managed to discover and address over 10,000 environmental problems during the campaign, which started in the fall last year.

He said the ministry also carries out two rounds of field inspections every month in key regions, with support from environmental law enforcement officers and monitoring work from across the country.

A total of 4,254 violations, including data falsification and excessive emissions, were exposed during the inspections, he stated.

He said the ministry's preliminary estimate shows that the campaign helped reduce pollutant emissions by about 393,000 metric tons last year.