"Cina Smog" by erhard.renz, CC BY 2.0
Rapid growth and the industrialization are the major contributors to China’s noted air quality issues. 4 years ago, the Chinese government issued a “war on pollution” aiming to improve air quality and reduce other environmental hazards, such as land and water contamination. Air quality is at its worst in the winter months across the country, due to households relying more on coal power to heat residents’ homes.
From November 15, 2017 to March 15, 2018, construction will be banned in all of Beijing, reports the South China Morning Post. Some projects, like infrastructure and affordable housing projects, may still be approved by the municipal commission of housing and urban-rural development to continue. For those that are approved, they can expect to be highly scrutinized for any creation of dust or use of construction equipment with high emissions.
Smog levels hit record highs in the city in January and February of this year and officials have promised to reduce hazardous airborne particles by 25% as compared to 2012 levels. It’s also believed that water and soil contamination is responsible for hundreds of thousands of early deaths yearly.
9/24/17 UPDATE: Reuters has reported that the officials have removed the construction ban policy note from their website. It is not yet clear if this means that construction will not be banned.
Full story: Beijing slaps ban on winter construction in bid to improve air quality | Construction
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