The municipal government of Beijing will take measures to control and reduce air pollution this year, making a cleaner capital.

Shi Hanmin, director of the Beijing environmental protection bureau, said the measures would be aimed at improving the air quality mainly through reducing particulate pollutants.

All levels of government were not to approve any project with high energy consumption and large pollutant emission and should stop those that already existed, said the official.

The government would also tighten the control over all building sites, which were requested to reduce the dust pollution in the construction process, Shi said. Those who failed to meet the standards of environmental protection would be punished by related departments or even be closed down.

Beijing also planned to expand 1,000 hectares of forested areas this year and would promote fuels with less exhaust.

Standardized production processes in addition to measures against pollution would bring citizens a cleaner Beijing, said the official.

(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2004)