STORY: Xinjiang's blue skies show China's determination to control air pollution

SHOOTING TIME: Recent footage

DATELINE: Oct. 9, 2024

LENGTH: 00:02:09

LOCATION: URUMQI, China

CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENTSHOTLIST:

1. various of Xinjiang

2. various of heating boilers and factories

STORYLINE:Urumqi in China's Xinjiang is among an economically vibrant urban cluster located on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains, which also contains parts of Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture and the cities of Wujiaqu and Shihezi. The urban cluster is collectively referred to as the Wu-Chang-Shi area by locals.For a long time, Wu-Chang-Shi has been a key and challenging area for air-pollution prevention and control in Xinjiang due to its heavy industrial and coal-dominated energy structure.However, 2023 was the year with the most significant improvement in air quality in the past decade for the urban cluster, thanks to the concerted and unremitting efforts made by the local ecology and environment authorities, enterprises and scientists.In 2023, the regional government of Xinjiang proposed spending three to five years to completely solve the air-pollution problem in Wu-Chang-Shi. Various departments have implemented pollution control measures in key enterprises in the area.In October 2023, the city completed the treatment of the remaining villages and households in rural areas that were using bulk coal for heating, making it among the first cities in China to achieve full coverage of clean-energy heating.In 2023, over 80 percent of days in the Wu-Chang-Shi area were of good air quality, according to official data.From Oct. 10, 2023 to April 10, 2024, Urumqi boasted 144 days of good air quality, an increase of 33 days year on year. The average concentrations of six major air pollutants, including PM2.5, decreased by 8.8 percent to 22.7 percent, reaching the best level since the monitoring began.Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Urumqi, China.

(XHTV)