Air pollution pushes Beijing to close 1200 factories or cut output

According to media reports, Beijing municipal government ordered 1,200 factories to close or curb their output after the first red alert of the year for air pollution was issued last Thursday. The factories which received this order mainly operate in printing, construction materials and petrochemical industries, the reports showed.

The statement the Municipal government posted on their website last week said that more than 700 plants in the city which were likely to pollute the air were shut down and 500 more were asked to curb their production as part of the plan to reduce severe air pollution. Accordingly, Beijing Jingmei Chemical Industry Co. and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp are among the factories to curb their production.

Also, Beijing reportedly limited the use of vehicles, which are considered as the biggest air polluters.