In the summer of 2015, the number of straw burning sites nationwide decreased significantly

The Ministry of Environmental Protection recently released to the media the results of satellite remote sensing patrol monitoring of nationwide straw burning in the summer of 2015.

Wang Dongqing, deputy director of the Environmental Supervision Bureau of the Ministry of Environmental Protection, said that data from the Ministry of Environmental Protection's satellite remote sensing patrol monitoring showed that from May 20 to July 31 this year, a total of 1,158 straw burning fire points were monitored nationwide, a decrease of 961 compared with the same period in 2014, a reduction of 45.35%. Judging from the patrol monitoring data and on-site verification in various regions, the overall situation of nationwide summer straw burning in 2015 was significantly better than the same period in 2014, but illegal straw burning still existed in some areas, and there were even cases where the number of straw burning fire points increased significantly year on year, so the situation for straw burning pollution prevention and control remained far from optimistic.

⟦NL> Wang Dongqing said that compared with summer, straw burning pollution in autumn has a greater impact on air environmental quality. The Ministry of Environmental Protection will continue to strengthen satellite remote sensing patrol monitoring and information release for autumn straw burning, and, in conjunction with air pollution prevention and control supervision work, increase the assessment of straw burning pollution prevention and control work, and publicly notify the provincial (regional, municipal) people's governments where the number of straw burning fire points in the autumn of this year does not decrease but instead increases compared with the same period last year and causes a relatively large impact on air environmental quality.