Beijing has installed a new network of monitors to provide accurate measurements of air quality in one of the world’s most polluted cities.
The capital city is often shrouded in thick smog – a problem highlighted by recent US embassy’s pollution measurements, which show much higher readings than government data. The Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center announced Saturday that another 15 monitoring stations were releasing real-time data on PM2.5, the harmful small particles emitted from the burning of fuels in vehicles and power plants.
Beijing now has a total of 35 monitoring stations across the city, including at tourist spots such as Tiananmen Square, the Temple of Heaven and Beijing Botanical Garden.
Beijing seemingly gave in to public pressure after US readings indicated a higher air pollution data which it publishes on social media site Twitter.
“We’ve been criticized by the Chinese government for having such a monitor, but we feel it’s a duty – our duty to inform our dependents and our Americans of the air conditions there so they can make appropriate decisions regarding the health of their children and themselves,” US ambassador to China Gary Locke said.
