December smog hits air quality standards

Frequent severe smog caused more than half of China's 74 major cities to fail national air quality standards in December, the national environmental watchdog said on Monday.

Intense smog blanketed the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region on five occasions in the month, making it the most polluted cluster, and Hebei's Baoding and Hengshui cities had eight smoggy days in a row, said Luo Yi, head of the environmental monitoring bureau at the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The ministry said all 13 cities in the northern cluster experienced soaring concentrations of PM2.5 - particulate matter with a diameter less than 2.5 microns that is hazardous to human health.

In Beijing the air quality reached hazardous levels on 13 days, 11 days more than last December, and PM2.5 readings increased by more than two and a half times this year, Luo said.

In response, the capital twice issued a red alert - its highest response level to control air pollution. At its worst, more than 15 cities in northern China jointly issued red alerts in a bid to reduce pollution.

Seven of the 10 most polluted cities in December were in Hebei province, with Baoding the worst, Luo said.

Soaring coal consumption for heating, especially in rural regions, and a lack of wind significantly contributed to the smog, he added.

Cities in the Yangtze River Delta region, including Shanghai, also experienced a deterioration in air quality in December and in total, national standards were met on fewer than 17 days, the ministry said.

To tackle the problem, Hebei province has put stricter controls on pollutants and emissions, has plans to expand urban central heating and has allocated more funds to support coal replacement projects.

The Asian Development Bank has issued a $300 million, 15-year loan to facilitate Hebei's efforts, Xinhua News Agency reported.

It's estimated that these funds could help reduce coal consumption by 12.4 million metric tons annually, accounting for 4 percent of the provincial total in 2012, and further cut carbon dioxide emissions by 18 million metric tons annually.

zhengjinran@chinadaily.com.cn