Beijing has pulled out all stops to ensure good air quality for the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in September, and its efforts appear to be paying off.
As of Sunday, monitoring stations from the Temple of Heaven and the Chaoyang Olympic Sports Center posted an air quality index (AQI) of 40 and 43, respectively, according to a report from Shanghai-based China Business News. Readings of 51-100 indicate good air quality, while readings below 50 represent mean excellent air quality.
China's central government had earlier issued a directive to the local governments of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia, Shandong and Henan to take prompt measures to ensure good air quality across the country's northern region during the events commemorating the 70th anniversary of China's liberation from Japanese occupation, the centerpiece of which will be a major military parade in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.
In response, authorities across northern China have constantly monitored air quality and have implemented measures, including the shutdown of factories to curb pollution.
The air quality has improved substantially as a result. From Aug. 24-28, the air quality is expected to be "excellent" in Beijing, Hebei and Tianjin, and "good" or "lightly polluted" in parts of central and southern China, with pollution mainly from particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers and ozone, the report said.
Mu Liang, head of the monitoring division of the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, said that inspections of companies in the top polluting industries would increase between Aug. 20 and 28.
Six companies have already been fined up to 500,000 yuan ($78,000) after they were caught violating the directive, he added.
Beijing has also allocated 460 million yuan ($71.8 million) to help reduce pollution in the cities of Langfang and Baoding in Hebei Province, while Tianjin will earmark 400 million yuan ($62.46 million) to Tangshan and Cangzhou from 2015 to 2017, according to the bureau.