Tianjin to cut steel, cement output to battle smog

North China's Tianjin municipality plans to reduce steel and cement output amid the country's effort to fight against air pollution and lingering smog, the local environmental protection bureau said on Monday. Tianjin government is aiming to reduce steel output by 1.4 million tonnes and cement output by 2.29 million tonnes by the end of the year. It is shutting down factories and promoting environment-friendly energies, according to the city's environmental protection plan published on Sept. 28. Tianjin, which was listed among the 10 cities with the worst air quality in the third quarter of the year, has shut down 440 high polluting factories since January this year. According to the plan, no more new energy-inefficient projects including producing steel, cement, aluminum and ferroalloy will be approved. Instead, environment-friendly production will be encouraged. The local government aims to reduce heavy industry emissions and industrial energy consumption by 30 percent and 20 percent respectively, by 2017 from 2012 levels, the plan said. According to monitoring results in the third quarter, air pollution in Beijing, neighboring Tianjin and Hebei Province was worse than other parts of the country. The Beijing municipal government has issued an air pollution emergency response program. Cars with odd and even license plates will be allowed on the roads on alternating days and 30 percent of government's cars will be banned from streets on an odd/even basis when a red air pollution alert is issued. Hebei is working hard to cut steel output capacity and aims to reduce its total by one third. A central government action plan unveiled last month showed China taking a multipronged approach to the issue by cutting coal use, shutting down polluters and promoting cleaner production. Several regions including Tianjin and Beijing received a yellow alert for heavy fog on Monday, after suffering from lingering smog over the past two months.