Schools to be closed for air pollution(2)

MONITORING

China has built 668 air quality monitoring stations in 114 cities, and the figure could rise to 884 stations in 161 cities by the end of the year, according to the ministry.

Any interference, tampering or falsification during monitoring will be severely punished, ministry officials said.

Since the beginning of 2013, 74 cities including Beijing, Tianjin and those in neighboring Hebei Province, the Yangtze River delta, the Pearl River delta, have been monitoring and reporting major pollutants including sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, inhalable particles, ozone, carbon monoxide and fine particles.

A pilot air quality warning system in the cities of Beijing, Tianjin and surrounding areas has been used since Nov. 1. When the air quality index is set to go beyond 500, a level one warning, the highest, will be issued. A level two warning will be triggered when the index is expected to read between 300 and 500 for three days in a row, and a level three warning for readings of 200-300.

In Beijing, cars with odd and even license plates will be allowed on roads on alternating days and schools will close when a level one alert is issued, according to the city's emergency response program.

BATTLE FOR BLUE SKIES

According to Monday's report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, more frequent smoggy weather will hinder air, water and land traffic due to low visibility; affect lung function and the immune system; and lead to more deaths and chronic disease.

The report stressed that the need for a plan to combat air pollution based on specific geographical situations and conditions.

On Sept. 18, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and governments of Beijing, Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shandong, Shangxi and Tianjin signed an agreement on pollution in their areas.

The Ministry of Finance announced in October a 5 billion yuan (over 800 million U.S. dollars) reward for air pollution reduction.

Xie with the NDRC said it is important to raise public awareness and change growth and consumption patterns. Those who take irresponsible decisions that lead to severe environmental consequences need to be punished according to the law, he said.