Beijing: Beijing, which reeled under thick "hazardously" polluted smog for weeks, has been ranked as the ninth among the 10 most polluted Chinese cities, authorities said on Thursday.
The Chinese Ministry of Environmental Protection`s list also includes Xingtai, Shijiazhuang, Baoding, Handan, Lanfang, Hengshui, Jinan, Tangshan and Zhengzhou.
Seven of the cities listed were from Hebei province, neighbouring Beijing, a major centre for China`s steel industry - with Xingtai listed as the most polluted, according to Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
The 10 were pulled from an analysis of 74 mainland cities using the "newest air quality, monitoring and evaluation standards," the Post quoted MEP vice-minister Wu Xiaoqing as saying a at a meeting.
Only in Haikou, Fuzhou, Zhoushan, Xiamen, Huizhou, Zhaoqing, Shenzehn, Kunming, Lhasa (Tibet) and Zhuhai were the cities where the air quality recorded better than the previous month.
According to World Bank, China is home to at least 16 of the world`s most polluted cities. Air pollution in Beijing city hit record levels last month.
The average level of PM2.5 particles 2.5 microns or less in diameter - hovered near 200 for nearly the whole month.
The World Health Organisation`s recommended level is 35.
PTI
