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Levels of PM2.5 in 28 cities in the north China region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei rose 24 per cent in the first two months of 2019. Photo: Reuters

China’s air quality worsens as national PM2.5 level rises 5.2 per cent in January and February

  • Just 83 of 337 cities monitored meet national standard in first two months of 2019, according to environment ministry survey
  • Average PM2.5 reading in 28 cities in pollution control region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei more than 10 times WHO’s safe level

China’s average concentrations of lung-damaging particles known as PM2.5 rose by 5.2 per cent in the first two months of the year, the environment ministry said on Thursday, casting doubt over the country’s ability to meet its winter targets.

The nation’s average PM2.5 reading came in at 61 micrograms per cubic metre for January and February, according to a Ministry of Ecology and Environment survey of 337 cities, with only 83 reaching the national standard of 35mcg.

Levels of PM2.5 in 28 cities in the key pollution control region of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei rose 24 per cent over the two-month period from the same time a year ago to an average of 108mcg, almost 11 times the 10mcg recommended as safe by the World Health Organisation.

Meanwhile, PM2.5 levels in the 11 cities of the Fenwei Plain, another major smog control zone, increased by 26.6 per cent over the period, hitting an average of 119mcg.

China facing uphill struggle in fight against pollution

China forced smog-prone northern cities to implement special emissions restrictions from October to March to offset rising levels of coal combustion from state heating systems during the winter.

But Reuters calculations based on official data showed that PM2.5 readings in the 39 key northern cities still rose 13 per cent over the October-February period.

The 39 cities are under pressure to make year-on-year PM2.5 cuts of about 3 per cent from October to March, but Reuters calculations show that only three – Changzhi and Luliang in north China’s Shanxi province, and Jining in eastern Shandong – were on course to meet their targets at the end of last month.

China’s average PM2.5 reading was 61 micrograms per cubic metre for January and February, according to a Ministry of Ecology and Environment survey. Photo: AFP

The government earlier blamed unfavourable weather for the poor air quality over the period, saying that “a weak El Nino effect” and subsequent increase in temperature and humidity had made it harder to disperse emissions.

The ministry has promised to crack down on regions that fail to meet targets, regardless of weather, but it remains unclear what punishments they will face.

Beijing smog: which industries were among the worst offenders?

The provinces of Hebei and Shanxi, where eight of China’s smoggiest cities were located in 2018, have established a “punishment and reward system” in which the worst-performing districts pay fines to regions that have performed the best.

On Wednesday, Hebei published a list of 14 districts that failed to meet their 2018 targets, including major industrial zones in Tangshan, China’s biggest steel-producing city.

Communist Party bosses from each of the 14 districts were summoned to the provincial environmental protection bureau to receive public criticism, the provincial government said in a notice.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Targets in doubt as pollution levels rise
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