By Xinhua
Beijing : Beijing is confident to stage the Olympic Games in a comfortable environment, the organisers said
During a video meeting with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Liu Qi, president of the Organizing Committee of the Beijing Olympic Games (BOCOG), said that the environment is improving, which has boosted the organisers’ confident of holding the Games in a clean atmosphere.
“Till Nov 22, Beijing had 226 days of good air quality this year, nine days more than the same period last year,” said Liu during the meeting Tuesday.
“Take August as example, we had 28 days of good air quality, including two days of level I air quality and 26 days of level II,” he said, adding that the level of sulphur dioxide and inhalant particulate matter in the air also dropped to a new low.
“These statistics gave us confidence to ensure a good environment for next year’s Olympic Games,” he said.
Beijing has spent 120 billion yuan between 1998 and 2006, more than three percent of its GDP, on environmental protection.
The Chinese capital urged citizens to take public transportation instead of private cars by reducing ticket price and building subway lines as vehicle exhaust emissions became a major source of the city’s pollution.
The city also limited the use of small coal-burning stoves and natural gas became the clean energy alternative.
The Beijing Olympics will start Aug 8.