Cities in Hebei Province in China are still most polluted

Beijing. January 18. Silkroadnews - Cities in Hebei Province in China are still the most polluted, Channel News Asia reported.
“China’s Hebei province was the location of six of the country’s 10 smoggiest cities in 2017, the same as the previous year, despite a campaign to improve air quality during the winter when smog levels peak,” the report said.
Hebei, China’s largest steel industry region, was part of a special six-month project aimed at reducing the winter smog build-ups, when the consumption of coal for heating leads to an increase in the number of harmful air pollutants.
According to data released by the Ministry of Environment Protection, the most polluted air was in the capital of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang City, with the highest concentration of PM2.5 particles that are easily inhaled into the lungs to cause respiratory diseases.
The levels of Hebei smog have a negative impact on the capital of China - Beijing, as the province surrounds the city.
Also among China’s ten most polluted cities there were Hebei’s cities of Handan and Tangshan, the world’s largest steel producing city, as well as Xingtai, Baoding and Hengshui.
Last year PM2.5 concentrations in Hebei Province made 65 micrograms per cubic meter, which is 7.1% less than in 2016. Local authorities promised to reduce the figure by another 14% by 2020.
In general, the average PM2.5 in 338 cities in China reached 43 micrograms per cubic meter in 2017, down 6.5% compared to the previous year.
The official PM2.5 standard in China is 35 micrograms, and the World Heath Organization recommends a level of no more than 10.