Beijing targets capital's suburban smog

The Beijing municipal government has put the environment at the top of its work agenda this year, launching a campaign to tackle pollution, especially in the suburbs.

According to a plan released on Thursday, the government will make efforts to improve sewage disposal, garbage treatment and air quality, as well as curb illegal construction.

Illegal buildings and land use are major problems in the suburbs, and the campaign will focus on structures built on collectively owned land in old towns and high-end communities, said Wang Wei, deputy director of the city's urban planning commission.