Stricter fireworks control promises quieter festival

Cities are seeking a balance between traditional celebration and reducing environmental pollution

The national environmental watchdog will put strict controls on setting off fireworks during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday, which falls on Feb 18, by expanding forbidden areas and times and conducting more supervision.

Fireworks can increase the concentration of pollutants 10 times over and are extremely harmful for people's health, said Shi Guoliang, an associate professor at the State key laboratory for urban particulate air pollution prevention at Nankai University.