From vehicle emissions control to industrial restructuring: Here's how Beijing tackled air pollution; China shares 'step-by-step guide' for Delhi

The spokesperson of Chinese Embassy in India said that both China and India are aware of the struggle with air pollution caused due to rampant urbanisation and shared insights on how her country tackled the crisis

At a time when New Delhi is battling toxic air, Yu Jing, the Spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in India, have been sharing a 'bite-sized' series on how China tackled the air pollution crisis.

It began on Monday, December 15, when Yu Jing took to her X handle acknowledging that both China and India are aware of the struggle with air pollution caused due to rampant urbanisation. "While the challenge remains complex, China’s sustained efforts over the past decade have delivered noticeable improvements," she added.

On December 16, the spokesperson shared a post titled 'How did Beijing tackle air pollution?'.

In this, she spoke about how the country tackled vehicle emissions. Here are the steps she cited for the same:

• Adopt ultra-strict regulations like China 6NI (on par with Euro 6)

• Phase-out retired old, high-emission vehicles

• Curb car growth via licence-plate lotteries and odd-even/weekday driving rules

• Build one of the world’s largest metro and bus networks

• Accelerate the shift to electric mobility

• Work with the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region on coordinated emissions cuts

On Wednesday, Yu Jing shared step 2, which was about Industrial restructuring. The points highlighted in this included:

• Shut down or remove 3000+ heavy industries. Relocating Shougang, one of China’s largest steelmakers, alone cut inhalable particles by -20%.

• Transform vacated factories into parks, commercial zones, cultural and tech hubs. e.g. The former Shougang site became 2022 Winter Olympics venue.

• Relieve non-capital functions by relocating wholesale markets, logistics hubs and some educational & medical institutions.

• Coordinate regional integration by shifting general manufacturing to Hebei, while retaining high-value R&D and services in Beijing.

Meanwhile, Delhi's  air quality saw some improvement on Wednesday morning, with an AQI of 328 as against 377 a day ago, even as smog blanketed the city.

The air quality in the city at 9 am was in the 'very poor' category.

Out of the 40 air quality monitoring stations recorded, 30 were in the 'very poor' category, with Bawana registering the poorest air quality of 376, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's Sameer app.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.

Several parts of the city were seen covered in smog and fog during the early morning hours, leading to reduced visibility.

Delhi's minimum temperature of 10.4 degrees Celsius on Monday is 2.3 notches above normal. The maximum temperature is expected to hover at 24 degrees Celsius.

The humidity was recorded at 100 per cent with IMD forecasting moderate fog for the day.