Air quality in China deteriorated in the first half, the first such decline since 2005, due in part to a recovery in economic growth, the China Daily reported today, citing statistics from the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
In the first half, 91 percent of days in 113 Chinese cities had air quality at the Grade II national standard or better, the newspaper reported. That was 0.3 percentage points lower than in the first half of 2009, according to the report.
The amount of inhalable particles was 0.091 milligrams per cubic meter in the cities, rising from 0.002 milligrams a year earlier, according to the report.
Increased construction and industrial projects, a surge in automobiles and more frequent sandstorms in the spring were the main causes of the deterioration of air quality, the newspaper reported.
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