Cold families get some heat at last

Heating has been supplied to almost 100,000 families that were still shivering in mid-December after falling through the cracks of energy conversion projects, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

To cut concentrations of PM2.5 - hazardous fine particulate matter - Beijing and Tianjin, along with 26 cities in Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Henan provinces were urged to use natural gas or electricity for heating this winter.

However, as the heating season began, some people in those areas found their homes and schools freezing, mainly due to gas shortages or incomplete energy conversion projects.