SHANGHAI –
The Ministry of Environment warned the northern region to stand ready to take urgent action as the country was preparing for another serious smoke attack.
Ministry of Environmental Protection issued a statement on Thursday, said Beijing – Tianjin – Hebei, as well as the neighboring Shandong and Henan Province, there will be a serious smoke.
The Department said the region’s “unfavorable weather conditions” were expected to continue until 5 January, when it had asked local governments to take appropriate action to reduce emissions in a timely manner.
It stated that it would send 10 inspection teams to ensure the implementation of contingency measures against companies engaged in “unlawful acts”.
Much of the northern part of the country was hit by harmful fumes in mid-December, prompting authorities to order hundreds of factories to close.
Beijing on the smoke of the “red alert” on December 22 canceled. The next day, the department warned more than 20 companies failed to comply with emergency rules aimed at reducing emissions.
Hebei is considered to be the most polluted province in China, saying it will draw lessons from last week’s smog and formulate more “key measures”.
The province’s environmental bureau said on Monday that its emergency system will be adjusted to improve its performance.
Wang Xiaoli, director of the provincial heavy pollution warning center, said that in the recent smoke outbreak, individuals and companies do not have enough time to respond to pollution alerts, warnings will now be released at an earlier stage.
