Guangdong action plan set to clear the air

The Guangdong government will soon implement its air-pollution action plan, made in line with the country's Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan issued in September by the State Council, a senior official from the provincial bureau of environmental protection said at a news conference on Friday.

The provincial action plan was approved by an executive meeting of the Guangdong government on Dec 31.

The national action plan requires PM 2.5 in populated regions and cities, including the Pearl River Delta, to be reduced by 15 percent by 2017.

"The Pearl River Delta will try to be the first to accomplish the task. And we've set the goal of reducing PM 2.5 in Guangzhou, Dongguan and Foshan by 20 percent," Huang Wenmu, deputy head of the provincial bureau of environmental protection, said at Friday's press conference.

To achieve the goal, the provincial action plan puts forward measures, including de-sulphurization and denitration, the removal of nitrogen compounds, in industrial production, controlling ozone pollution and developing green transportation.

According to the press release by the provincial bureau of environmental protection, about 90,000 vehicles were phased out of use in 2013 because of heavy exhaust emissions.

xujingxi@chinadaily.com.cn