The average concentration level of PM2.5 in the city in June was 17 micrograms per cubic meter, according to results released by the city’s environmental commission.
Among 74 subdistricts, Cuizhu, Fubao and Shatoujiao ranked top three with the lowest PM2.5 density, while Nanhu, Xinqiao, Shajing and Songgang were at the bottom with the highest PM2.5 density.
The level in Cuizhu Subdistrict was 11 micrograms per cubic meter, while levels at Nanhu Subdistrict in Luohu and Xinqiao Subdistrict in Bao’an were 23 micrograms per cubic meter.
It was the first time the authority had ranked the 74 subdistricts by their PM2.5 concentration levels.
Residents can check the air quality of the subdistricts in which they live by using the Shenzhen Air Quality app and WeChat mini-app, both of which went online Tuesday.
The commission will release the ranking and PM2.5 report of subdistricts monthly starting from July.
“The air quality in June was pretty good and the city’s average stood at 17 micrograms per cubic meter,” Lu Xuyang, vice chief of the environmental commission, said at a news conference Wednesday.
The monitoring system at each subdistrict will enable the environmental authority to gain timely knowledge on air quality and respond quickly if any abnormal data are observed, according to Liu Chanfang, senior engineer of the commission’s environmental monitoring center.
In the decade following 2006, the PM2.5 concentration in the city dropped by 55 percent. In 2017, the average concentration was 28 micrograms per cubic meters.
Shenzhen is the only city among the top 20 local economies in China that has met the air quality standards in all six categories. However, compared to other major cities across the world, such as London, Tokyo and New York, Shenzhen’s air quality still lags behind.
To close the gap, the city government has unveiled the 2018 Shenzhen Blue Sky Sustainable Development Action Plan and set a target to control the average PM2.5 concentration to within 26 micrograms per cubic meter.