Haikou tops China's city air quality rating in April

HAIKOU /China/, May 18. /TASS/. Haikou city, the administrative center of the southern Chinese province of Hainan, took first place in April in China's air quality rating. This was reported on Wednesday by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China.

According to the ministry's statement posted on WeChat, Lhasa (the administrative center of the Tibet Autonomous Region, southwest China) took second place. Zhoushan city in the eastern province of Zhejiang ranked third.

Hainan province pays special attention to ecology: in order to protect the environment and reduce harmful emissions Hainan authorities intend to completely stop selling cars with gasoline and diesel engines by 2030. To this end, the government is encouraging the public to buy alternative energy cars and developing the necessary infrastructure for them. As the Hainan Daily newspaper reported earlier, the authorities are planning to build up to 20,000 additional charging stations this year. The province also has a policy of subsidizing the purchase of such vehicles by individuals.

In 2021, the proportion of days with good air quality in Haikou reached 98.4%. At the same time, the average concentration of fine PM 2.5 particulate matter, the main source of smog, in the city's atmosphere was 14 micrograms per cubic meter. The maximum permissible WHO standard is 25 micrograms per cubic meter.