Taiyuan's "Twin Towers" stand erect against a blue sky. [Photo/Shanxi Daily] 

Taiyuan, capital of North China's Shanxi province, has implemented a series of measures this year to improve its local environment. 

The city has carried out 52 key projects to advance the ecological protection and management of the Yellow River basin. 

These projects involve the comprehensive environmental management of key river basins, the construction and improvement of urban sewage facilities, and the restoration and management of river and lake ecosystems. 

They also cover the construction of river eco-corridors, the deep treatment and intensive utilization of industrial park wastewater, pollution and prevention and control in agricultural and rural areas. 

Other areas covered by the projects include the cultivation and conservation of water resources, and the intelligent monitoring and regulation of water ecological environments. 

Currently, 32 projects have begun, with six having already been completed.

Taiyuan Forest Park. [Photo/Shanxi Daily] 

Taiyuan has incorporated all of the city's 629 villages into the agricultural and rural ecological environment monitoring system, with 291 administrative villages having completed their sewage treatment. 

Taiyuan's municipal environmental protection bureau has inspected all of the rural sewage treatment facilities that have been put into operation. The results show that the operation of these facilities has seen considerable improvements in previous years. 

According to preliminary feedback data from the national surface water quality monitoring agency, from January to October, five of the six national surface water monitoring areas in the city were rated as excellent water bodies. 

In terms of air pollution control, Taiyuan has focused on addressing prominent issues such as heavy pollution, ozone, and dust. It has strengthened its comprehensive dust pollution measures, accelerated improvements to local transportation, promoted reduced emissions in industrial enterprises, and improved its technological support while modernizing its regulatory capabilities. 

From January to October, Taiyuan had 189 days with good air quality. Its air quality index was 4.79, a 5.0-percent improvement year-on-year. The concentrations of five of the six major pollutants decreased compared to the previous year, including sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen dioxide.