Cars, factories limited in Beijing from July 20
Updated
Beijing is stepping-up its traffic and pollution reduction measures ahead of the Olympic Games.
Cars which do not meet benchmark pollution standards are being kept off the city's roads until September 20.
High-emission cars numbering 300,000 have been taken off the roads of Beijing as part of the city's latest attempts to reduce congestion and air pollution.
The next stage will be for all private cars to be banned on alternate days using an odds-and-evens number plate system.
This will start on July 20 and is expected to take 45 per cent of cars off the street.
Organisers say government car numbers have already been slashed by 50 per cent.
Factory closures and a halt to major construction will also start on July 20 and last for two months.
Olympics threaten water supply: Greenpeace
Meanwhile, Greenpeace fears that the Beijing Olympics will intensify water scarcity in north China.
But, as Amanda Morgan reports, the Beijing Olympic Committee says water has been used wisely in the Olympic venues.
Experts say Beijing will run out of water in the next five to ten years.
Despite this, a Canadian research group says the Olympic Games will consume about 200 million cubic metres of water.
But Jeff Ruffolo from the Beijing Olympic Committee says water has not been wasted.
At the Olympic village all the hot water will be solar-heated, the toilets will be flushed with reclaimed water, so we're not using precious natural water for that," he said.
"When i first came to Beijing in 1999 there were three sewerage plants in the city, and today there are nine of them."
Reports also say that the Beijing Olympics will be the first games not using ozone-depleting substances.
