Shanghai's best fresh-air zone vanishing?   

探访淀山湖：上海“最清洁空气”正在消失？

自6月27日上海环保部门开始发布十个监控点的PM2.5(可入肺颗粒物)值，原本拥有“最清洁空气”的淀山湖空气污染指数却“意外走高”，PM2.5值一直处于高位，一度成为上海数值最高的地区。

Shanghai (CNS) -- Dianshan Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Shanghai and the source of the Huangpu River, is suffering from severe pollution and the region no longer has air as fresh as before. A reporter from CNS made a visit to the lake on Thursday.

The PM2.5 readings at Dianshan Lake in Qingpu District ranked the highest among all the 10 monitoring spots on June 27, which aroused public attention. Experts surmize that what is contributing to the negative index results are ocean breezes from the east carring an accumulation of particles into the lake area.

Eighty-year-old Xiang Keding lives adjacent the monitoring spot several hundred meters away from the lake, and he said:"It is obvious the air is not as good as before, as too many houses and small-sized factories are crowding in here."

Local fisherman Liu Jianzhong said he can only harvest a few kilograms of fish daily now, a quarter of the take in the old days.

There is no official explanation as to why PM2.5 readings here in Shanghai city have hit record highs.