The Asian Games is a good opportunity for Guangzhou to launch a two year war against its air pollution problems including grey haze! On the afternoon of April 9th, the Guangzhou Municipal Government passed the Comprehensive Measures against Air Pollution in Guangzhou from 2008 to 2010 in principle on its executive meeting.

According to the Measures, Guangzhou would "reduce the secondary industry and promote the tertiary industry" not only in its central urban districts but also in its new urban districts and county-level cities. All the small scale cement plants in the city would be shut down this year.

The Measures also specifies that environment-friendly marks would be authorized to automobiles of other cities beginning July 1st, completing the initial authorization of environment-friendly marks to automobiles of both Guangzhou and other cities on request within this year. Also, over 1000 diesel buses would use clean energy this year. In addition, stricter inspection measures would be taken on buses, taxies, coaches and vans that fail to meet the exhaust-gas discharge standards in order to eliminate smoky vehicles before the Asian Games.

Guangzhou would also formulate measures to recycle oil at gas stations to reduce volatile organic pollutants and recycle oil at more than 80% gas stations next year.

Additionally, the Measures also proposed that the Guangdong Provincial Government should initiate the Guangzhou Air Quality Guarantee and Coordination Work Team for the 16th Asian Games in 2010 to coordinate Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen and other surrounding cities, implementing united prevention measures against air pollution in the region and formulating air quality guarantee solutions before and during the Asian Games and under typical weather conditions as well.

The Measures estimates that grey haze will have been effectively controlled by 2010 and there would be over 330 days of good air quality each year. During the Asian Games, the concentration of main air pollutants including ozone and fine particles would meet both national standards and basic international requirements.

(Translated by Guangzhou Association of Foreign Affairs Translators)

Source : english.gz.gov.cn