BEIJING, Dec. 2 -- Beijing has a tight schedule if it is to succeed in fulfilling its promise of letting local residents enjoy good air quality for 230 days during 2005, or 63 per cent of the year.

    Du Shaozhong, deputy director of Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, said that by the last day of November, residents had bathed in 212 days of "blue sky," leaving a need for 18 such days in December.

    He was quoted by the Beijing News daily as saying yesterday that the city was plagued by pollution in November "the worst month for the city during the past six years" which had only 10 days of clean air.

    Experts say a "blue sky" figure often showcases a city's success in environmental protection. Since 2002, the "blue sky" figure in Beijing has been 203, 224 and 229, which indicate victory in ensuring cleaner air. In 1998, the capital's air-clear figure was only 100 days.

    However, an air-clear day does not mean pollution-free. It is still divided into five categories: The first degree is of "super" quality, the second is "good," the third indicates "light" pollution. The fourth and fifth grades mean "moderate" and "heavy" pollution.

    "I had to count on my fingers once again to see whether this year's air quality control target can be fulfilled," Du told the newspaper.

    During the first week of November, the quality of the city's air was all poor, with three days hitting "most severe" pollution level, he said.

    Du attributed the severe quality level to the pollutants sent into the sky by a combination of the city's annual heating supply since November 15, pollution from vehicles, construction site and factories, and its terrain.

    He said his bureau would strengthen air quality control this month by restricting unqualified automobile exhaust emissions and controlling flying dust from construction sites and pollution from various plants.

    Moreover, Du said, the city needs support from the public.

    "Our residents and various institutions in the city should start with themselves to help lower air pollution," he said.

    Poor exhaust emissions

    In related reports, a probe on Tuesday by the city's bureaux of environmental protection and traffic management found that 30 per cent of the examined automobiles sent out emissions below government standards.

    Feng Yuqiao, chief of the Exhaust Emission Division of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, said their on-spot check on 210 automobiles found that 59 were spreading sub-standard emissions.

    He told the Beijing News that most of the violators were trucks from construction sites and vehicles for agriculture, "which like to run all night to avoid being checked by authorities." Enditem

(Source: China Daily)