Emissions effort brings more blue skies

QINGDAO: The Qingdao municipal government began to implement regulations on vehicle emissions from March 1 this year to reduce pollution through local legislation.

"At present, all the vehicles running in the city have met the requirements, which is a step further toward our aim to present the world a green and healthy environment for the Olympics," said Gao Yan, head of Qingdao Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

The number of vehicles in Qingdao has been increasing by 300 to 400 a day, totaling 1.36 million by the end of 2007, according to official statistics. Vehicle emissions have brought serious pollution to the city, so the city government mandated a sharp reduction of car emissions in preparation for the coming Olympics sailing competition to ensure clear skies for the event.

Regulations on vehicle emissions were passed in 2004 that gradually reduce the levels of pollutants permitted. Monitoring departments in the city then began to measure air quality along main roads and publicize their findings.

Periodic checks and repair of vehicles to reduce pollutants are also part of the plan that complies with new emission standards set by the central government.

Seven vehicle emission monitoring stations and 18 testing lines have been built in seven districts in Qingdao. All vehicles in the city are required to be inspected to ensure they meet standards.

The concerted effort by the Vehicle Emission Control Center of the Qingdao Environmental Protection Bureau and the Qingdao Traffic Management Committee improved air quality by requiring both commercial and passenger vehicles that fail tests to be repaired or replaced.

The Qingdao municipal government also invested 240 million yuan over the past two years to replace 1,200 buses with those that meet European Union II and III standards, while adding 48 trolleys and retrofitting 520 vehicles to use natural gas.

During the Qingdao International Beer Festival and regatta last year, a test event for the 2008 Olympics sailing competition, 18 auto monitoring stations were placed in key areas such as the airport, railway station, long-distance bus station and the sailing venue itself to measure air quality.

For the coming Olympics this summer, the local government says it will enforce strict measures, intensify law enforcement and further eliminate vehicle pollution to improve the environmental quality of the whole city.

(China Daily 03/12/2008 page24)