China's air quality improved slightly in the first half of 2014 compared with the same period in 2013, but aggravated ozone pollution became a prominent problem across the country, according to Environmental Protection Ministry figures released on Monday.
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In 74 major cities, air quality was good 60.3 percent of the time from January to June. The figure was 58.7 percent during that period in 2013. In addition, the frequency, duration and pollution concentration of severely polluted days all decreased this year.
A ministry official who wished to remain anonymous said the improvement came from tougher policies adopted after the Airborne Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan was issued in September 2013, and more favourable weather conditions.
But the rising ozone level marred the overall improvement. Ozone concentration increased by 6.8 percent nationwide - it was as high as 12.8 percent in the Yangtze River Delta region.
Regionally, air quality improved in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei cluster, by 3.2 percent, in 2014. But it decreased by 0.5 percent in the Yangtze River Delta region, and by 0.8 percent in the Pearl River Delta.
But despite these efforts, eight of the 10 cities with the worst air quality in the first half of 2014 are in that region. The 10 cities were Xingtai, Shijiazhuang, Baoding, Tangshan, Handan, Hengshui and Langfang, all in Hebei province; Jinan in Shandong province; Xi'an in Shaanxi province and Tianjin.
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China's air quality improved slightly in the first half of 2014 compared with the same period in 2013, but aggravated ozone pollution became a prominent problem across the country, according to Environmental Protection Ministry figures released on Monday.
