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Beijing To Shut Down 2,500 Polluting Firms

May 7, 2017
By Big News Network
BEIJING, China - Beijing's municipal government has said that it is planning to close down 2,500 small polluting firms this year, in its latest efforts towards tackling the dire smog crisis.

As part of this environmental protection effort to reduce pollution, the city's municipal authorities have said that firms in the Fengtai, Fangshan, Tongzhou and Daxing districts will be closed and that the whole city will finish the task in 2017.

Citing the municipal government's statement, a Xinhua report said that these were the four districts in the capital that had been hit by bouts of choking smog this winter, eventually leading to a damage in the city's ecology.

Last month, Beijing issued its second ever "red alert" over heavy air pollution, closing schools and banning outdoor construction. The ministry has further warned residents of heavy smog this week.

Xinhua's report further showcased the official data pointing out that Beijing's average PM2.5 reading in 2015 was 80.6 micrograms per cubic meter, 1.3 times more than the national standard.

Meanwhile, Beijing is said to be planning to transfer about 600,000 households to clean energy from coal by 2020. Six of Beijing's downtown districts however plan to give up coal use over the next two years.

According to the government's plan, coal consumption is going to be reduced by 500,000 tons in 2016, while all facilities using coal as fuel material will be eliminated in five years, the report added.
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Story image: In this Dec. 20, 2015, file photo, a woman wearing a mask for protection against pollution walks on a pedestrian overhead bridge as office buildings in Central Business District of Beijing are shrouded with smog. AP Photo/Andy Wong, File