Photo taken on Dec. 2, 2015 shows a view of the Yanqi Lake in the suburban Huairou District of Beijing, capital of China, after the lingering thick smog dispersed overnight. (Xinhua/Bu Xiangdong)
BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- For the first time in history, Beijing issued a red alert for air pollution earlier this week to limit car use and industrial activities until the smog dispersed. It helped cut pollutants substantially,said experts, as a new round of smog is expected to come this weekend.
The emergency plan was strictly observed from 7 a.m. Tuesday to 12 p.m. Thursday, during which cars wererestricted on the roads based on odd and even license plate numbers, factories and construction sites were closed and classes at schools were suspended.
Between the start and late afternoon of Tuesday, pollutant emissions in Beijing were reduced by 30 percent, according to the data from the Environmental Protection Ministry.
Cheng Shuiyuan, a professor of environment with Beijing University of Technology, ran an evaluation model on the effectiveness of the red alert, comparing the pollution level with and without the constraint of the alert on its first day in force.
"Test results showed that PM 2.5 density in Beijing would have risen up to 10 percent if no such measures had been taken," Cheng said, adding that nitrogen oxide related to motor vehicle emissions was most significantly cut among all PM 2.5 pollutants on that day.
Beijing traffic authorities adjusted all surveillance cameras and sent out a large number of police officers to make sure the rule on odd and even plate numbers was followed. From 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, at least 3,700 cars were caught and fined for violations.
Traffic restriction was proved to be the most effective and feasible method, said Chai Fahe, vice president of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences. Vehicle fumes are listed by environmental authorities as the main source of PM 2.5 pollutants in Beijing.
Still, many car owners complained about the car drive restriction. "I finally won the bimonthly car registration lottery and bought a car, and now I could barely have chances to drive it," said a Beijing citizen named Sun Chang.
Chai also stressed that the air pollution shrouding north China was largely due to burning coals for industrial production and for heating in the winter. Other experts believe the air pollution in Beijing mainly came from emissions by coal-fired power plants located in Beijing's neighboring Hebei, Shanxi and Shandong provinces.
Data showed that during the red alert period in Beijing, sulfate particles from coal power plants in those regions increased by 2.3 times.
Review: How effective was Beijing's red alert for smog?
English.news.cn 2015-12-11 16:22:43
Photo taken on Dec. 2, 2015 shows a view of the Yanqi Lake in the suburban Huairou District of Beijing, capital of China, after the lingering thick smog dispersed overnight. (Xinhua/Bu Xiangdong)
BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- For the first time in history, Beijing issued a red alert for air pollution earlier this week to limit car use and industrial activities until the smog dispersed. It helped cut pollutants substantially,said experts, as a new round of smog is expected to come this weekend.
The emergency plan was strictly observed from 7 a.m. Tuesday to 12 p.m. Thursday, during which cars wererestricted on the roads based on odd and even license plate numbers, factories and construction sites were closed and classes at schools were suspended.
Between the start and late afternoon of Tuesday, pollutant emissions in Beijing were reduced by 30 percent, according to the data from the Environmental Protection Ministry.
Cheng Shuiyuan, a professor of environment with Beijing University of Technology, ran an evaluation model on the effectiveness of the red alert, comparing the pollution level with and without the constraint of the alert on its first day in force.
"Test results showed that PM 2.5 density in Beijing would have risen up to 10 percent if no such measures had been taken," Cheng said, adding that nitrogen oxide related to motor vehicle emissions was most significantly cut among all PM 2.5 pollutants on that day.
Beijing traffic authorities adjusted all surveillance cameras and sent out a large number of police officers to make sure the rule on odd and even plate numbers was followed. From 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, at least 3,700 cars were caught and fined for violations.
Traffic restriction was proved to be the most effective and feasible method, said Chai Fahe, vice president of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences. Vehicle fumes are listed by environmental authorities as the main source of PM 2.5 pollutants in Beijing.
Still, many car owners complained about the car drive restriction. "I finally won the bimonthly car registration lottery and bought a car, and now I could barely have chances to drive it," said a Beijing citizen named Sun Chang.
Chai also stressed that the air pollution shrouding north China was largely due to burning coals for industrial production and for heating in the winter. Other experts believe the air pollution in Beijing mainly came from emissions by coal-fired power plants located in Beijing's neighboring Hebei, Shanxi and Shandong provinces.
Data showed that during the red alert period in Beijing, sulfate particles from coal power plants in those regions increased by 2.3 times.
