Beijing recently launched a nine-month campaign to rid the city of air pollution.
The main tasks include bringing suspended particles under control and reducing discharge of contaminants by a big margin, according to sources from the Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection.
It is expected that 55 per cent of days this year will reach Grade-2 on the air pollution index or better than the standard, five percentage points higher than last year.
By the end of October,
Beijing should have finished renovations on 1,500 coal fired boilers to reduce an estimated 24,000 tons of pollutants.
Meanwhile, natural gas and electricity is to be installed on a greater level.
Regarding the problem of exhaust emissions from cars, various measures are to be adopted, officials with the bureau said.
Motor vehicles used for over 10 years and taxis of more than five years old are to be examined by the environmental protection and communications management departments.
Vehicles not able to reach the waste release standard even after repair are forbidden to be used again.
Around 40 factories from downtown areas that pollute the environment will be removed this year, including coking, sintering, cement and lime plants of the Capital Iron Steel (Shougang).
By the end of June, around 4 million square metres of unused land in
Beijing will be transformed into a pollution-free zone, especially along the Chang'an Avenue, the airport road and the second, third and fourth ring roads.
A telephone line has also been set up for residents who want to voice opinions on areas that are not environmentally friendly.
In addition, Beijing's rivers are getting cleaner as the capital's sewage treatment is improving.
With four sewage treatment plants currently in operation, the capital is able to treat 1.28 million cubic metres of sewage per day, or 42 per cent of waste water.
In addition to this progress, the municipal government plans to invest 793 million yuan (US$95.5 million) this year to carry out seven sewage treatment projects.
According to sources from
Beijing Drainage Group Co Ltd, these projects include building four sewage treatment plants and three sewage conveyance projects that guide sewage to treatment plants.
"By the end of this year, the city will be able to treat at least 45 per cent of the total waste water, an increase of 3 per cent," said Xuan Yongli, spokesman for the company.
Qinghe sewage treatment plant, with a designed capacity of treating 200,000 cubic metres of waste water per day, is expected to be completed in October and will be put into trial operation then, he said.
As a supplement to the Qinghe plant, 25-kilometre-long pipelines will also be completed to collect waste water from the Qinghe River and nearby areas for treatment, he said.
This year, there are three other sewage treatment plants listed in the construction plan.
