The Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development recently issued an action plan to tackle construction dust pollution during the winter and spring. The document requires six urban districts, 10 new districts and the Yizhuang Economic and Technological Development Area to stop construction work and housing demolitions that may increase dust pollution during the winter heating season, which will start on Nov 15 and end on March 15.

Key construction projects related to people's livelihoods should seek approval from the municipal government to continue work.

For those real estate enterprises that violate the regulation to halt construction work, the authority will suspend approval for new construction projects and the developers' qualification to buy land.

The move comes after the instruction by the Tianjin municipal government on Aug 25 that all the districts in Tianjin stop construction and housing demolitions from October to March. It is expected that some areas in Hebei province will also follow suit.

This is a significant move to curb air pollution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, which shows the authorities' resolve to tackle the air pollution that plagues North China in the winter months.