Chongqing,
the leading industrial center and metropolis in Southwest China,
has got rid of the label of China's "city of fog" thanks to the
"Clean Energy Project" conducted with
Britain's help.
Statistics from the Municipal Meteorological Department show there
have been only 30 polluted air days recorded so far this year, 70
percent less than last year.
Sulfur dioxide in the air declined by half in the third quarter of
the year compared with the same period last year. The city's air
quality was evaluated "fairly good" this year, instead of last
year's "slightly polluted".
Li, an old woman, who has suffered from chronic pharyngitis for
years, said she felt better this year, and her husband, an
asthmatic, had few attacks this year as a result of a big reduction
in atmospheric pollution.
Wang Yang, a traffic police officer in the downtown area, said, "We
used to be busy on foggy days with traffic accidents caused by the
fog. It was common to increase the number of traffic police at
crossroads during rush hours. Clearer weather has made it possible
for two to cope with rush hour traffic.
As
a coastal city enveloped by mountains, Chongqing was in fog most of
the year. Environmental experts attributed the heavy fog to the
slow evaporation of mists rising from the Yangtze River and the
soot and dust discharged by local factories.
When the fog was dense, the morning was as dark as the evening and
lights had to be turned on.
The municipal government analyzed the cause of the pollution and
sought help from British environmental experts because the
situation in Chongqing was similar to that of London which has
reduced its fog dramatically.
In
1991, after scientific investigations, Chongqing launched a "Clean
Energy Project" which had proved to be efficient in London.
The city converted 2,646 coal-fueled boilers into gas-fueled
devices. These measures, which cost 380 million yuan (US$46
billion), cut the city 's coal consumption by 1.36 million tons a
year and reduced the amount of soot discharged by industrial firms
by 35,000 tons.
The 40 heavy pollutant makers were required to install
desulfuration and dust-removing devices on boilers to lessen the
level of pollutants in the air.
Nearly 100,000 motor vehicles have been equipped with purification
devices to bring the tail-gas emissions within the state required
standard. Any automobile that failed to meet the standard was
banned from streets.
However, low-income earners could not understand a clear sky was
more important than their bonus. Workers of the Huacheng No. 1
Cotton Mill were upset when they heard that the increased spending
on clean fuel might swallow their bonus.
Their suspicion was alleviated, when they found that the fuel
transformation scheme had reduced the number of workers from 30 to
eight and brought the factory extra income by the selling of land
used for storing raw coal and coal ashes.
Chongqing's efforts in fog removal have won acclaim from the United
Nations.
At
a UN-sponsored environmental symposium held recently in Japan, the
representative of Chongqing was invited to outline the city's
experience as the only a good example of pollution control in the
Asia-Pacific area.
A
UN official said Chongqing has made substantial contributions to
the progress of environmental protection around the world.
( December 23, 2001)