Beijing removes 3.40 lakh old vehicles from roads this year

China's capital city, one of the world's most polluted metropolis, has removed 3.40 lakh ageing high-emission vehicles from roads this year, authorities said today.

The move will help annually reduce 40,000 tonnes of pollutant emissions from the atmosphere, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, hydrocarbon and particulate, the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau said.

Beijing has about 5.65 million vehicles, with total pollutant emissions of about 500,000 tonnes per year, Li Kunsheng, director of the vehicle management department with the bureau, was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua news agency.

Vehicles contribute to over 30 per cent of the city's PM 2.5 pollution each year, Li said.

Beijing has come up with a scheme to encourage elimination of old vehicles.

According to the scheme, an owner of a ten-year-old car who discards it can get a government subsidy of 8,000 yuan (1,183 US dollars), while an owner of a ten-year-old bus can get 19,500 yuan.