The El Nino event that formed in September 2026 is developing fast and strong, and is expected to become the strongest since systematic monitoring began, likely peaking in November-December, CCTV reported on October 18. Ministry of Ecology and Environment spokesperson Pei Xiaofei recalled the last comparable episode: the “cross-year haze” from late 2023 into early 2024 lasted 16 days, covered 2.7 million square kilometers — more than 28 percent of China’s land area — pushed up the national annual PM2.5 average by 2.4 micrograms per cubic meter, and brought heavy pollution to nearly a hundred cities.
Alert threshold lowered to moderate pollution
To get ahead of the season, the ministry will optimize heavy-pollution response plans: the alert trigger drops from consecutive severe-pollution days to consecutive moderate-pollution days, so alerts will come earlier and more often. A three-level (province, city, county) response plan system now covers the whole country, and PM2.5 episode forecasts exceed 90 percent accuracy. Performance-graded, differentiated control of key industries will be deepened, with reduction lists itemized to each enterprise and each production line, and exemption management for firms that have genuinely upgraded, to avoid one-size-fits-all shutdowns. Enforcement pairs online monitoring, satellite remote sensing and electricity-consumption data with offline inspections and unannounced visits during pollution episodes.
What this means for AIFILTECH customers
Earlier and more frequent alerts turn your performance grade into a production-continuity issue: well-rated plants keep running through warning periods while lower-rated ones curtail, so the quality of dust-collection and denitration systems directly protects output. Itemized reduction lists mean every high-temperature emission point needs equipment whose operating records and CEMS data can withstand an audit — and the legacy low-efficiency gear flagged in national inspections of ineffective control equipment is the first to face replacement. A season of long, high-load episodes also favors filter media chosen for pressure-drop stability and pulse-cleaning recovery under real conditions rather than as-installed test figures; the MULCERAFIL ceramic fiber filter tube high-temperature gas filters and ceramic filter tube dust collectors are built for exactly these duty points in cement kilns and coking plants.
