BEIJING: Beijing plans to invest 16.54 billion yuan to tackle the air pollution and sets a target to reduce average annual PM2.5 concentration by 5 per cent this year, according to the municipal government work report released Saturday.

According to the annual report on air pollution control from the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau, Beijing enjoyed 186 blue-sky days, or 51 per cent, during 2015. Additionally, the number of days with good air amounted to two weeks longer than in 2014. PM 2.5 concentrations decreased by 10 per cent since 2013. Especially in the first ten months of last year, PM 2.5 concentration decreased to 69.7 cumulative micrograms/cubic meter, down 21.8 per cent, People's Daily reported on Monday.

The report said the four main pollutants, which directly affect air quality, have been reduced. Compared with 2014, the concentrations of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, PM10 and PM2.5 have dropped respectively by 38.1 per cent, 11.8 per cent, 12.3 per cent and 6.2 per cent.

In 2016, Beijing will implement the clean energy project in 400 villages, complete the transformation of coal-fired boilers of 2,100 MW and eliminate 200,000 cars with high emissions. At the same time, it will improve proportion of new energy vehicles used in public transportation, sanitation and postal industries. It will also speed up the elimination of the small polluting companies in the rural–urban fringes.