Dirty air ruins China's beautiful dream

The goal of building a prosperous and beautiful country of the Chinese government may not be realized by heavy air pollution, a state news agency said.

>>>China decided to reduce car smoke to cope with pollution

The dense fog covered Beijing's capital and more than 30 other cities in central and eastern China from January 11 to January 16. Pollution levels have reached record levels. The average index of dust particles with diameter less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) is 12 to 16 times higher than the World Health Organization's safety threshold. At some observation stations, this index reached more than 700 (micrograms / m ³ ) and reached 993 at other points on the evening of January 19.

Some Beijing residents are happy that the thick haze brings a "romantic" atmosphere , making people feel the presence of others, but cannot see each other. However, medical experts warn that polluted air will increase the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

Vision in Hefei City, the capital of Anhui Province, China decreased
down below 100m due to dense smoke on January 14.(Photo: Xinhua News Agency)

Efforts to promote ecological development and a commitment to building a "beautiful China" by the Communist Party and the Chinese government will be difficult to come true with a dark sky because of air pollution, Tan Hoa Xa commented in an article.

Experts believe that industrial emissions, dust from vehicles and construction sites are factors that make smoke appear.

In 2011, China announced that it had fulfilled its major targets for air and water pollution control for the 11th (2006-2010) five-year plan and even set targets to reduce major pollution. more for the next 5-year plan.

However, the dense haze of the past few days indicates that while the industry and China's urbanization process are developing rapidly, environmental problems are really becoming a major challenge for the country.

According to the article, controlling pollution and protecting the environment is not the task of the government alone. People should participate in efforts to protect the environment through access to mass media more often.

The dense haze of last weekend in Beijing caused many people to recall the record fog in London in 1952, which could have killed at least 4,000 people. It is an expensive price for the development of the industry. However, London is no longer a "foggy city" because of effective government measures and people's awareness.

"China should draw lessons from the fog in London to avoid falling into a UK-like situation," the paper argues.