In recent years, Qingpu District, striving to be the "National Environment Protection Model District" and the "National Ecological District ", has turning into the "National Sanitary District", the "Garden City Area of Shanghai", the "Smoke and Dust Control District of Shanghai" and the "Noise Control District". All this aims to improve Qingpu's ecological environment for a higher quality of living, said District Vice-governor Shi Jiaming at a recent meeting checking the establishment of a "Dust Pollution Control City Area".

The Experts Group for Checking and Accepting Shanghai Dust Pollution Control City Area consists of personnel from the Municipal Promotion Office, the Municipal Special Atmospheric Team, the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau, the Construction and Communications Commission of Shanghai Municipal Government, the Shanghai Municipal Engineering Administration, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau, the Shanghai Municipal Urban Communications Administration, the Shanghai City Appearance and Environmental Sanitation Administrative Bureau and the Shanghai Municipal Port Administration Bureau. The Group has checked and accepted the work of Qingpu District's establishment of dust pollution control city area. Qingpu District, owes much of its high score of 96.5 to giving priority to the environment construction and persistent efforts for high-quality air and a clear sky in the city area.

"Dust Pollution Control City Area" Established
Based on a series of successful environment construction in 2007, Qingpu District aims to turn its 17.02-square-kilometer city area into a municipal-level "Dust Pollution Control City Area", a soft-landing approach for the establishment of the "National Environment Protection Model District" and the "National Ecological District". According to the "Shanghai Dust Pollution Prevention Administrative Measures" and the requirements of the third round of Three-year Environmental Action Plans, the District, pooling efforts from all sides, has established the "Dust Pollution Control City Area" so as to push forward the all-round harmonious development of economy and society. Administrative departments and offices, including the Qingpu District Environmental Protection Bureau, the Construction and Communications Commission of Qingpu District, the Qingpu District Engineering Administration Bureau, the Qingpu Public Security Bureau and the Qingpu District Housing and Land Administration Bureau, are doing feasibility surveys at the major pollution-prone construction sites and freight yards. In addition, they are doing promotion work to arouse public awareness by distributing the "Working Brochure of Dust Pollution Prevention" and the "Dustproof Requirement for Pulldown of Houses" . Besides, dustproof measures for dust suppression such as surrounding, covering, washing and spilling are implemented at six dust-prone areas including construction sites, so as to reinforce prevention at construction sites and other pollution-prone places. As for planting and cultivation as well as the landscaping of bare land, Qingpu District regulates greenbelt and vertical green area of 4,196 square meters in total. With street trees' plant holes covered by boards and landscaping, the 13,748 street trees in Qingpu's city area are well regulated to ensure full coverage of greening. According to the Qingpu District Engineering Administration, roads are cleaned by cooperative ways of machine sweeping, manual sweeping, flushing and circuit clearness to control road dust better. By October 2007, the Qingpu District Engineering Administration owns a total of 46 sanitation vehicles, with 8 more to be added next year for cleaner roads. The District, through the establishment of "Dust Pollution Control City Area", has cleared up dust in large scale with higher air quality and less complaints from the local residents.

More Ecological Creations
Creating the "Dust Pollution Controlling City Area" is a miniature of the Qingpu environment creation. Qingpu created the Garden City Area from 2002 to 2004, the National Sanitary District from 2003 to 2005. In 2006, Qingpu proposed to create the "National Environment Protection Model District" and stepped to the"National Ecological District". In recent years, in line with the development guideline of coordination of economic development and eco-environment and harmony between human and nature, Qingpu has steadily made a series of ecological creations. Qingpu also constructed environmental hardware facilities, improved citizens' ecological awareness, perfected long-run effective environmental-protective administrative mechanism and created the ecological environment with "blue sky, green earth and comfortable dwelling". In the creation process, Qingpu actively implemented a 3-year plan of the 3-round environmental protection, constructing the Qingpu, Zhujiajiao, Xujing, Xicen, Jinze and Huaxin sewage treatment plants. Sewage collection ratio and treatment ratio were both improved, and the comprehensive water environment treatment, esp., in Dianshan Lake, was also enhanced. Meanwhile, Qingpu adjusts and optimizes industrial structures, committing itself to developing high-tech, high-benefit, low-consumption, low-pollution industries. Meanwhile, the District also rationalizes less competitive enterprises and recovers the damaged ecological environment. In the past 2 years, in line with more eco-friendly environment for suburban residents, Qingpu carried out the "Water Area Enhancement", which covers the 1,119 riverways of 1,212.27 kilometers in its towns and villages. The riverways take on a new look with "running water, clean surface and green shores".