Reward offered for China cities curbing pollution

BEIJING, Aug 13 (Reuters) China's top coal producing province has offered rewards of up to 263,800 dollars to cities dropping off a list of the country's 10 worst polluters, the official Xinhua news agency said today.

The provincial government of Shanxi in northwest China would conduct appraisals annually, Xinhua said, quoting the provincial environment watchdog.

Nearly two-thirds of Chinese cities suffer from severe air pollution, including 39 scattered across Shanxi and the northeastern rustbelt province of Liaoning, according to state media.

REUTERS SKB KP1644