The recent rise in heating fees demonstrates Beijing's determination to speed up environmental protection efforts in the city.

The one-time heating charge this year was increased to 30 yuan(US$3.60) for each constructional square metre, up from 28 yuan (US$3.37) last year.

Prices were raised in an effort to improve the city's heating systems and help reduce pollution. "The rise is not going to influence me much," said Jia Peng, a resident who pays the fee by himself. Most Beijing residents have their employers pay the fee as a welfare.

All boilers that produce heat in the city have been ordered to use cleaner fuel in place of coal, the burning of which produces much sulphur dioxide and floating particles that pollute the air.

By the end of this year, 1,500 boilers will have undergone the transformation, said Wang Yongqing, an official with the municipal environmental protection bureau.

Automobiles using clean fuels are also being promoted as Beijing continues its drive to become a cleaner city.

A new standard was adopted by the city in 1999 to reduce pollutant emission of light-duty motor vehicles.

The standard, equal to that of European standards in 1992, orders an 80 percent reduction in pollutant emission, compared to the previous requirement.

By the end of July, 187,000 gas-fuelled motor vehicles had been transformed to comply with the standard, which will reduce carbon monoxide emission by an estimated 150,000 tons, according to statistics of the bureau.

All motor vehicles have to undergo two tests of tail gas emission each year as well.

Efforts have been made to clean up public transportation as well. Some 2,060 buses have begun to use pure natural gas.

To meet the requirements of the standard by 2008, a natural gas transportation pipeline from Shaanxi Province to Beijing has been planned. The pipeline will supply approximately 5 billion cubic metres of natural gas.

Experts are also seeking ways to improve the city's sewage and garbage treatments, two problems that require immediate attention.

According to Liu Xudong who works with the Beijing urban drainage company, the capital will build 12 sewage treatment plants in the next five years in addition to the existing four. They are designed to be able to treat 600,000 cubic metres of sewage per day.

By 2008, 90 percent of sewage will be treated before emission, Liu said.

The recycled water project, also sponsored by the company, will mitigate the city's water shortage problem.

It is expected that at least 50 percent of the recycled sewage will be used as flush water in toilets and irrigation for farmland and green belts by the year 2006.

As for garbage treatment, three factories will be built to ensure the safe disposal of garbage produced by urban residents.

According to the official website of the Beijing Olympic Bid Committee, Beijing invested 5.97 billion yuan (US$719.2 million) in 1999 in a series of environmental projects.

As a result, the city can now supply 700 million cubic metres of natural gas and treat 42 percent of its sewage and 81.5 percent of its garbage.

(China Daily October 30, 2001)