Environment     

China vows more transparency in pollution control

Xinhua, April 20, 2012

• China's environmental watchdog said on Thursday that it will work to promote the prompt disclosure of air quality reports and monitoring results for other types of pollution.

  Air pollution is a major environmental issue in Beijing. [File photo]

  The disclosure of information on major pollution sources and radiation levels will also be improved this year, according to a statement from the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP).

  The ministry also pledged to build an Internet-based environmental information platform by 2015 to facilitate the country's environmental protection drive, it added.

  Chinese citizens voiced significant concerns about air pollution in late 2011 following days of heavy smog in cities including Beijing. Public demand mounted for an official air quality report that would include PM2.5, an air quality standard that allows for the detection of particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less.

  The government responded by promising to start using the PM2.5 standard in several major regions and cities in 2012, adding that it will expand the use of the standard to all cities at or above the prefecture level by 2015.

  A number of regions and cities, including Beijing, Tianjin and the Pearl River delta in Guangdong Province, made efforts earlier this year to include PM2.5 readings in their air quality measurements.

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