A panoramic view of Datong. [Photo/Datong Daily]

Datong city in North China's Shanxi province has strengthened its ecological environment protection measures in recent years while promoting the harmonious coexistence of humans and nature.

The city has accelerated the green and low-carbon transformation, improved the diversity, stability, and sustainability of this ecosystem, promoted projects in air and water pollution prevention and control, and made significant improvements to the urban and rural living environment.

This year, the city has enhanced its coordinated control of PM2.5 – tiny inhalable dust particles – as well as ozone and sulfur dioxide, and formulated an action plan. 

Key projects such as industrial upgrading, boiler management, improvements to eight power companies, and VOC control in six companies have also been advanced, yielding remarkable results. 

As of the end of June, the city recorded 144 days with good air quality. The level of PM2.5 measured 29 micrograms per cubic meter on average, on par with 2022. Meanwhile, the comprehensive air quality index stood at 3.98 to rank first in the province. The concentration of sulfur dioxide was 16 micrograms per cu m, down 20 percent from 2022, showing a strong improvement.

Wenying Lake in Datong city. [Photo/Shanxi Department of Ecology and Environment] 

Datong has also coordinated efforts to better protect its water resources, ecology, and overall water environment. 

The measures introduced to improve water quality include strengthening the control of water pollution at the source, enhancing supervision of the enforcement of related laws, and promoting the normal operation of wetland management. 

Significant progress has also been made in building a network of waterways, agricultural irrigation, flood control, and ecological restoration projects. From January to June, all eight national monitoring river sections in the city were rated as excellent water bodies. 

In addition, efforts to prevent and control soil pollution have been intensified. The 2023 Action Plan for Soil Pollution and Groundwater Control has been formulated and expedited. Fourteen land plots have completed their investigation and assessment of soil pollution. A soil pollution prevention and control expert database has also been established.