China's cleaner coal experiment bears fruit, pollution level reduces by 40 %

China's efforts to tackle the toxic air pollution which is all-time high in the country, especially the metropolitan cities, is finally yielding some positive results.

As per media reports, the world's biggest polluter had put in place the largest clean coal-fired power generation system and the outcome is nothing less than 'remarkable' as the nation witnessed a decrease of nearly 40 percent in the air pollution level in three major metropolitan cities, including Beijing.

According to Minister of Environmental Protection Li Ganjie, Beijing had seen many blue days in December, something less common during winter, which is usually the worst period of the year for air quality due to the operation of central heating, which is generally fuelled by coal.

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With four-tier colour-coded warning system for severe weather, China placed the clean coal-fired power generation system over the past five years which resulted in 83 percent decrease in sulfur dioxide emission, 50 percent cut in nitrogen oxides, and 67 percent reduction in smoke.

This year from January to November, 338 Chinese cities saw a combined 20.4-percent reduction in particulate matter (PM) 10, compared to that in 2013.

As the country went through heavy industrialisation, Beijing and northern cities suffered from smog and severe pollution especially in winter, forcing the government to crack down heavily by removing the coal-fired industries

In 2013, the Chinese government unveiled a five-year national clean air action plan with an aim to improve air quality by closing factories, limiting cars and replacing coal with clean energy.

With this outcome, the Indian government must take up the matter with the Chinese government at earliest, because the smog in New Delhi is so thick that you cannot see to the end of a block, leaving the citizens with no option than to inhale toxic air.