Hefei mayor: Improving environment makes residents happier

Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province, made great achievements in fighting pollution and creating a beautiful picture of a bluer sky, greener mountains and cleaner water last year, according to its mayor.

Ling Yun, mayor of the city and a deputy to the National People's Congress, said the proportion of days with good air quality in the city reached 85 percent last year, and there were zero days with heavy air pollution.

The concentration of PM 2.5, or airborne particles measuring less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, and PM 10 has decreased for seven consecutive years to last year, down by 42.4 percent and 33.1 percent, respectively, from 2015.

Apart from parks and wetlands, the city has built 29,000 hectares of man-made forest in the 13th Five-Year Plan Period (2015-20), she said.

"We hope that our citizens can appreciate greenery when they open their window. Parks are within walking distance and they also can go hiking in the forest and wetlands easily."

Chaohu Lake, China's fifth-largest freshwater lake that was once seriously polluted, has also witnessed major improvement in water quality last year, reaching its best level since records started to be kept in 1979.

"We will not slow down our efforts in improving Chaohu's environment and will strive to transform the lake into a beautiful and picturesque one with harmony between mankind and nature," she said.