China sees air pollution plummet in 2017

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‍China saw a quick drop in air pollution during 2017 thanks to a string of measures taken by the government to improve air quality, according to an environmental authority statement Thursday.

The average density of PM2.5 in 338 cities nationwide in 2017, as monitored by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), stood at 43 micrograms per cubic meter, falling 6.5 percent year-on-year.

In the same period, the level of PM10 in the cities declined to 75 micrograms per cubic meter, 5.1 percent less than in 2016.

CGTN Infographic

The density of PM2.5 in the capital Beijing stood at 58 micrograms per cubic meter last year, a year-on-year drop of 20.5 percent thanks to effective pollution controls, meeting the goal of reducing the PM2.5 level to around 60 micrograms per cubic meter.

An air pollution control plan issued by the State Council in September 2013 ordered Beijing to reduce its PM2.5 density from 90 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to around 60 micrograms per cubic meter by the end of 2017.

Last year, the average PM2.5 level in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was 64 micrograms per cubic meter, down 9.9 percent from 2016, while that in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions were 44 micrograms per cubic meter and 34 micrograms per cubic meter, respectively.

Haikou, the capital of southern Hainan Province, topped Chinese cities with best air conditions in 2017. /Photo via VCG

Shijiazhuang, the capital city of northern Hebei Province, though largely reducing PM2.5 density, had the worst air quality throughout the year, while Haikou, capital of southern Hainan Province, had the best air quality.

Tackling pollution is one of "the three tough battles" that China aims to win in the coming three years, according to the Central Economic Work Conference, an annual tone-setting economic meeting.

(Cover picture via VCG)

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency