People walk across an intersection during a smoggy day. (File photo)
(ECNS) -- Heavy smoke billowing from residents' homes, unregulated trucks carrying construction waste, and choking air almost got an environmental inspection team lost in Hebei Province, China's biggest steel-producing region, the Southern Weekly reported.
Hebei, which neighbors Beijing and the northern port city of Tianjin, is often blamed for smog because of its heavy industry, even though the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has vowed to reduce airborne pollutants, officials from the Ministry of Environmental Protection said.
Experts said the industrial layout and energy structure were the major reasons and barriers to environmental protection in North China.
Hebei is taking steps toward limiting the excessive number of iron, steel, glass, and concrete factories to reduce pollution. But serious irregularities, namely illegal discharges and lack of desulfurization and dust removal are still pervasive, according to the environment watchdog.
In addition to motor vehicle pollution, the province's heavy reliance on coal is another reason for the ambient PM2.5, or particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns that can penetrate lungs and harm health.
In Hebei's environmental protection system, there is a bitter popular saying: although every city has smog, their flavor is different.
