Officials in Hebei have acted quickly to introduce anti-pollution measures after a new list from China's Ministry of Environmental Protection revealed the province had seven of the 10 cities with the worst air quality during January, according to the People's Daily.

Xingtai, in the southern part of the province, ranked top of the list while its capital city Shijiazhuang was second.

Beijing, was in ninth place, after thick smog choked the capital for many days during the month.

In response to the worsening air quality, the provincial environmental protection bureau has already outlined a series of plans to counter the worsening conditions.

Companies found to be discharging excessive pollutants will be forced to reduce levels or face being shut down and those discharging illegally will face severe fines, officials said.

More effort will be made to move to greener fuels, with less reliance on coal, and residents will be encouraged to use public transport and sell ageing, polluting private vehicles if they own them, they added.

Nationally, Haikou in southern China's Hainan province experienced the least air pollution in January, the list showed.

The ministry said it now plans to release monthly air quality monitoring results for 74 major cities.