The city of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, has been hit with heavy air pollution for the first time in the last quarter of 2014 and the government says it’s determined to improve air quality and hold harmful PM 2.5 particles to less than 80 micrograms per cubic meter for the rest of the year, as described in its recently published Suzhou Strong Program for Improving Ambient Air Quality in the Fourth Quarter of 2014.

The plan comes in two phases, the first of which calls for major exhaust emitting companies and plate-glass factories to cut production by 15 percent and other major exhaust emitters to face a shutdown if they fail to meet standards. The city government is expected to close several hundred industrial boilers that don’t meet fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly laws by the end of the year. Construction sites are being told to control dust, or face closure, while heavy exhaust emitting vehicles with yellow plates will not be allowed into certain areas. If average daily PM2.5 levels go over 150 micrograms/cu-m and last for two or more days, or average PM2.5 levels for the fourth quarter are predicted to be above 75-micrograms/cu-m, phase two will be started. The phase will see all electric generator output cut by 15 percent, all steel, concrete, and plate-glass factory output cut 15 percent, and all construction site demolition, pile driving, roadbed construction, earthwork, and sediment 　removal halted.

The plan calls for 289 companies and factories to be shut down or have production reduced, and 41 sites involved in the electric generator, steel production, concrete production, printing, textile, and chemicals industries to be closely monitored.