Stringent restrictions usher in blue skies

Major air pollutants in Beijing have been greatly reduced through effective restrictions, municipal environmental authorities said on Tuesday.

They also pledged that tougher action will be taken if there is air pollution in the capital in the days ahead of a grand military parade on Sept 3.

However, it is highly likely that the city will see hazy weather when the parade is held to celebrate victory in the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression (1937-45).

Major air pollutants have been reduced sharply since Aug 20, when the city began to impose restrictions on industrial emissions.

A total of 1,927 enterprises have been suspended or shut down and 282 construction sites have suspended work in the capital. These restrictions are expected to last until Sept 4, said Liang Wenyue, deputy head of the air pollution control division of the municipal Environmental Protection Bureau.

Beijing has also imposed restrictions on the use of vehicles based on their license plate numbers, allowing them to run on alternative days. This has reduced traffic by 2.6 million vehicles a day, Liang said.

Pan Tao, deputy head of the Beijing Research Institute of Environmental Protection, said it is estimated that these efforts could reduce major air pollutants by 35 percent to 50 percent compared with the same period last year.

Zhang Dawei, director of the Beijing Environmental Monitoring Center, said on Tuesday, "These efforts have been effective in the past days, bringing amazing blue skies."

The concentration of PM2.5 - airborne particles with a diameter less than 2.5 microns that can penetrate lungs and harm health - has been 19.5 micrograms per cubic meter on average since Aug 20.

"It's the first time that Beijing has seen a low level of PM 2.5 for six straight days since 2013," when the center began monitoring PM2.5 concentrations, Zhang said.

The vehicle restrictions have also cut the concentration of nitric oxide - an airborne pollutant mainly caused by exhaust emissions. Levels have fallen by 50 percent in the morning rush hours from 7 am to 9 am, Zhang said.

Although the capital has seen blue skies for several days, the weather may change from Thursday, Zhang said.

Liang Wenyue said Beijing and nearby provinces will introduce harsher restrictions if hazy days materialize.

zhengjinran@chinadaily.com.cn