HEBEI, China’s top steelmaking province, has pledged to fulfil capacity cutting targets for this year in steel, cement, coal and glass by the end of September, under efforts to tackle air pollution ahead of winter, an environment official said.

Hebei, close to the capital Beijing, has eliminated 12.26 million tons of ironmaking capacity and 10.53 million tons of steelmaking capacity in the first seven months of the year, Yin Guangping, a spokesman for the province’s environmental protection bureau, said Wednesday.

The province aims to cut steel capacity by 31.86 million tons in 2017, accounting for nearly two thirds of China’s total steel capacity reduction target for the year.

China’s air pollution is typically most severe in winter as domestic heating systems churn out toxic pollutants. Controlling the problem has become a political priority and Hebei has vowed to hold officials accountable if the region fails to meet pollution targets.

A total of 3,625 officials have been cited in the January-July period for being inefficient in tackling pollution.

Yet official figures have shown air quality has worsened in China’s northern Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region in the first seven months of this year, adding to pressure on authorities to meet pollution targets.

A statement published by Hebei in early August said 50 percent of its steel capacity will be shut during the winter in key regions, including the city of Tangshan which produced 88.3 million tons of steel last year.

(SD-Agencies)