China plans a monitoring and warning system to respond to heavy air pollution, according to a revised draft of the Air Pollution Law which was released on September 9.
The document released by the Legislative Affairs Office of the State Council says that if smog is likely, provincial governments must issue warnings, and governments above the county level should have an emergency response contingency in place to cope with the situation, including restricting traffic and closing businesses or limiting production.
The government will control and reduce air pollution caused by coal consumption and production. A discharge permit system will control the emission of other major air pollutants.
Better public transportation and use of energy-saving and environment-friendly vehicles will be encouraged and the number of cars on the road kept under control. Governments above the county level can mark out areas forbidden to heavily polluting vehicles.
The draft has been put forward public opinion. |