Beijing: Good air quality will be maintained

Now that Beijing's Olympic year is over, the air quality of the capital city will not be allowed to deteriorate again, it has been claimed.

Du Shaozhong, spokesman for the Beijing environment protection bureau, said that the Olympics were an "accelerator that pushed us to make extensive efforts" in terms of air quality, reported the People's Daily Online.

However, authorities have ambitions to maintain good air quality in the city, with good intentions set to be long-term rather than for the purposes of the sporting event, outlined Mr Shaozhong.

He continued: "Controlling air pollution in a city like Beijing will be especially arduous because of its location and years of industrialisation."

The bureau is determined to keep the air clear and will "have to make greater efforts to cut down polluted days", the official added.

Beijing is not the only capital city to suffer from air quality woes, it has been suggested, as environmental campaigners in Tehran recently claimed that birds are migrating to healthier climes to avoid pollution in the Iranian city.