Public servants summoned over air pollution in Hebei

Top officials of 10 areas in Hebei province were summoned by the province's air quality watchdog to discuss measures to put a halt to the decline in air quality in regions surrounding the capital.

The areas include a district in Baoding, part of the city of Tangshan, a county in Langfang and seven other counties.

The officials were criticized for failing six times or more to lower the monthly average air quality index or the concentration of PM 2.5 particles throughout the year, according to Hebei Provincial Working Group Office for Prevention and Control of Air Pollution.