PM2.5 remains major air pollutant in 2013

Beijing's environment authority says PM2.5 has been the major air pollutant of 2013.

Zhang Dawei with the Environmental Protection Bureau says the city has set up 35 PM2.5 monitoring stations over the last year.

"According to last year's data, Beijing recorded 176 days of level 1 and level 2 conditions, which means air quality met standards 48.2-percent of the time, or almost half the year.58 days have been recorded as heavily polluted, at levels 5 and 6. Poor air quality was recorded every 6 or 7 days."

Zhang also says air quality improved in the second half of last year due to a series of measures taken by local authorities.

Yu Jianhua is head of the Atmospheric Environment Management Office.

"Concerning how to improve air quality in recent years, Beijing has staged a 5 year plan. In 2013, the city has reduced coal burning of 130 tons, renewed or eliminated 350-thousand old vehicles, punished 288 companies, and cut 83-million tons of volatile pollutant emissions."

He says measures tackling air pollution will continue this year.