Shijiazhuang sets target for reducing major air pollutants

Shijiazhuang, a city in Hebei province chronically plagued by smog, has set an ambitious target to cut the density of fine particulate matter in the air by more than 20 percent this year, which will require stricter controls on industrial production, especially for iron, steel and cement.

The action plan, released on Tuesday, stipulates that the average concentration of PM2.5 - particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns that is harmful to health - will be lowered to 79 micrograms per cubic meter, a year-on-year drop of 20.2 percent.

The capital of Hebei province, which had the second-highest air pollution among the 74 major cities last year, has seen frequent severe smog since November.