Pollution down in Beijing

Beijing has had more pollution-free days so far this year than last year, as the level of fine particulate matter pollution dropped.

The the key measure of PM2.5 concentration decreased 9.5 percent on a year-on-year basis, the municipal environment authority said on Monday.

Up until the end of November, the capital's average PM2.5 concentration was 67 micrograms per cubic meter, compared to 80.6 in 2015, according to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

The other major airborne pollutants were also dramatically down in the first 11 months, including 23 per cent drop in sulfur dioxide.

In the first 11 months, there were 185 days with good air quality, 10 days more than that last year.

The bureau attributed the reduction of air pollutants mainly to the restriction on emissions, adding that the capital has replaced the coal-fired boilers in over 75,000 households this year.

Together with the restrictions on industrial coal use, the total coal consumption in the capital would be less than 10 million metric tons by the end of 2016, the bureau said.

Beijing will further cut emissions from vehicles by replacing old, highly-polluting cars and relocating the polluting companies out of the capital.