Motor vehicles in the city are to come under strict regulations in a bid to improve air quality in the provincial capital of Guangdong.

An air quality report issued by the Guangzhou Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection claims the content of sulphur dioxide exceeded the Secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standard of China in 2004.

Sulphur dioxide is a major source of air pollution.

"The high density of the chemical in the air shows the air quality of Guangzhou is very bad," said Sun Dayong, an official with the bureau.

In 2004, there were 125 days of thick smog, more than a third of the whole year.

The statistics impelled a deputy of the Guangzhou Municipal People's Congress, Yu Jinfeng, to propose an early-warning system for smog days and stronger controls on motor vehicles at a conference of the congress earlier this year.

The bureau has now framed a detailed scheme to improve the air.

"Our bureau and other related departments are sparing no efforts to improve the environment under the scheme," Sun said. "We expect to complete all the works within 2005."

"We will attach more importance to controlling motor vehicles," Sun added.

Guangzhou has more than 1.74 million registered automobiles.

Exhaust emissions are Guangzhou residents' second biggest concern, after public security.

The scheme proposes that motors that do not meet EU emission standards (EURO I and EURO II) will not be allowed on certain busy roads.

To decrease the large number of cars that do not meet the standard, the bureau is planning to give financial rewards to people who stop using their cars before the service lives of the cars are over.

In collaboration with the public security departments, the bureau will be able to assign more traffic policemen to monitor roads.

And drivers could face fines if their cars do not meet requirements.

The bureau intends to submit the regulations to the Standing Committee of the Guangzhou Municipal People's Congress in August or September.

Once the regulations are approved by the committee, they will be legally binding, the bureau said.

Under the scheme, as well as managing car pollution, the bureau is making efforts to boost the use of liquefied natural gas (LNG), set up an early warning system to supervise air pollution, and reduce sulphur emissions from heavy industry factories.

The departments involved in the overall project include the Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau, the Legislative Affairs Office of Guangzhou and the Guangzhou Transport Commission.

"All the departments should make a concerted effort," said Sun.