Abstract
Hebei is one of the most air polluted provinces in China. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) for the severe fog-haze month of Jan. 2013, seven of the top ten most polluted cities in China are located in Hebei Province. In this study, the air pollution history and status of the Hebei Province are reviewed and discussed, using the governmental published Air Pollution Index (API), the academic observations by various scientific research groups and the long-term statistics of visibility and haze frequencies. It is found that within the Hebei Province, the air pollution in the southern cities is much more severe than the northern cities. Particulate matter (PM) is undoubtedly the major air pollutant, sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) pollutions are also unnegligible. Ozone (O3) pollution in larger cities, such as Shijiazhuang, is significant. Air pollution control history from 1998 is discussed as well. Although Hebei Province has made a great effort on air quality, the pollutant emissions, such as SO2 and fly ash, showed a notable increase in 2001 to 2006. However, after 2006 the emissions started to decrease due to the strict implementation of the national 11th Five Year Plan (FYP). In addition, regional jointly air pollution control and prevention strategies are expected in the future to substantially change the severe air pollution status in Hebei Province.
Highlights
In Jan. 2013, continuous, severe haze pollution happened in east and central China, attracting the most public attention
It is reported that the daily fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations in Beijing and Shijiazhuang has been over 500 μg·m−3, which is 6.7 times of the new China National Ambient Air Quality Standard (CNAAQS) [1]
We summarize the air quality history and status according to both the governmental reports and the relative academic studies, and review the air pollution control measurements pursued within Hebei area and give suggestions on future pollution control
Summary
In Jan. 2013, continuous, severe haze pollution happened in east and central China, attracting the most public attention. Hebei Province, located in the north-east of China, is east to the Taihang Mountains and north to the Yellow River (see Figure 1) It encloses two municipal cities, Beijing and Tianjin. The air pollution burden of the southern Hebei area is heavy because of its special location. The steel, coke and cement productions of the four neighbored provinces are as large as 40.8%, 50.1% and 22.6% of the national total amount. The percentages for SO2, NOX, CO, VOC, BC and OC were 28%, 25%, 28%, 24%, 30% and 24% It gives us a clue why Hebei Province, especially the southern area, has the most severe air pollution all over China. We summarize the air quality history and status according to both the governmental reports and the relative academic studies, and review the air pollution control measurements pursued within Hebei area and give suggestions on future pollution control
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