|
Beijing municipal government will adopt 22 tough new measures to
control air pollution this year, building on the progress achieved over
the last six years.
The new measures include stricter controls on industrial smoke,
automobile exhaust fumes and construction dust.
Other measures include relocating some heavy
polluters - such as coking
plants
in southeastern suburbs - out of the city area.
Automobile emissions, which are an increasing threat to the city's air
quality as the number of motor cars rises, will be put under more rigorous
supervision and control this year, according to the Beijing Municipal
Environmental Protection Bureau.
Motor vehicles that meet emission standards usually have a yellow or
green tag pasted on their front windows after an annual inspection.
However, cars without such tags are often seen on the roads.
This year, the municipal environmental protection bureau will team up
with local traffic management authorities to guard against vehicles
without such tags on the road. People driving such cars will be fined 200
yuan (US$24), said Pei Chenghu, deputy director of the bureau.
Pei said the city plans to phase out 3,800 old buses and 20,000 taxis,
both blamed as major pollution sources, by the end of this year.
The cost of changing the buses alone is expected to reach 3 billion
yuan (US$363 million), according to sources with the Beijing Public
Transport Group.
All new buses and taxis must meet Euro III emission standard, said Feng
Yuqiao, chief of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division under
the bureau.
Experts say emissions from one old car is the same as from 14 new cars
that meet this new standard.
Feng said the city is expected to upgrade its exhaust standard from
Euro II to Euro III this year, and special petrol suitable for Euro III
cars will be on sale in July.
Beijing adopted the Euro II emission standard in 2003, and the speedy
upgrade is because of urgent appeals for clean air, and due to the soaring
number of vehicles, said Feng.
Apart from
exhaust fumes, the city will also take tough measures to
slash industrial emissions, which are another major source to air pollution.
(Agencies) | 
Updated: 2005-04-05 11:33
