The air in Chinese cities was heavily polluted in the first half of 2013, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said Friday.

"The air pollution situation in Chinese cities is severe," according to MEP air quality readings for 74 cities and three metropolis agglomerations.

Combined average air quality readings for the 74 cities met standards on 54.8 percent of the days in the first half of 2013, while 2.8 percent of days were heavily polluted, according to the readings.

Air in the Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei region was heavily polluted for 26.2 percent of days in the first half of the year, making it the worst of the three metropolis agglomerations monitored by the MEP.

The other two metropolis agglomerations monitored were the Pearl River Delta in south China and the Yangtze River Delta in the east.

Eight bouts of dusty weather hit China in the first half of 2013 and lasted a total of 21 days, affecting the northwestern and northern regions. The days unable to meet air quality standards in key environmental protection cities added up to 157, including 38 days of heavy pollution which soared 245.5 percent in comparison with the same period last year, the MEP readings said.

Acid rain hit 135 cities nationwide in the first six months of 2013, including 23 cities severely affected. Cities in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian and Hunan provinces and Chongqing municipality were hard hit by acid rain.

Water in the Yellow River basin was "moderately polluted" in the first half of 2013, and the Haihe River in north China was "seriously polluted." The Dianchi Lake in southwest China's Yunnan Province was also seriously polluted, according to the MEP.

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