City announces new measures to ensure "blue skies" during Olympics

Yesterday, the Beijing government announced new measures to ensure the quality of the air in the capital during both the Olympic and Para-Olympic games. The strict rules have been introduced to ensure that Beijing meets the air quality standards that the city committed itself to when competing to get the games. The new regulations call for a halt to all digging and pouring of concrete at the city's many construction sites from July 20 through to September 20. Aside from construction sites, cement manufacturers and concrete mixing plants will also be forced to close up shop. Some of the city's 1,000 gas stations will also be closed.

Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the city's Environmental Protection Bureau, also said that if the air pollution exceeds the standards they have set, authorities are prepared to introduce even stricter measures. He also mentioned that neighboring provinces including Tianjin, Hebei, Shanxi, Inner Mongolia and Shandong are also introducing similar measures. In addition to all these measures, authorities also plan to encourage Beijng's citizens to adopt "greener" lifestyle habits.

Asked by a reporter from the Beijing News about the effects of the ban, especially on workers in the construction industry, and the possibility of financial assistance, the deputy director replied that orders to stop production are only aimed at a small minority of heavily polluting industries and that other industries are simply being asked to improve the implementation of pollution control measures. In regard to the question of what will happen to all the construction workers, he replied that everything has already been arranged and there will be no problems.

Links and Sources
Guardian: Video: A Day on a Beijing Construction Site
China Daily: Measures to improve air quality
NYTimes: Construction Halted Ahead of Games
BBC: Beijing to Close Factories for Olympics
Guardian: Beijing bans construction projects to improve air quality during the Olympics
The Beijing News: 北京7月20日起严管机动车
Tree Hugger: How Fair Is Reporting On China's Environment?
The Beijinger Forum: Beijing to Close Factories for Olympics
tbjblog: Pollution Vans