A view of Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province was ranked eighth among the 168 major cities nationwide in terms of air quality in July, according to a recent report from the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.

It is the first time that the city has made the top 10 list for air quality in a single month, according to a head official from the Ningbo municipal bureau of ecology and environment.

In addition to Ningbo, three other cities from Zhejiang – Zhoushan, Lishui, and Taizhou - were also listed among the top 20 in July.

In the first seven months of this year, Ningbo was ranked 17th nationwide in terms of air quality.

In March, Ningbo was designated a provincial demonstration zone for air quality in 2020.

In order for a city to become a provincial demonstration zone for air quality, its percentage of bad air quality days in the year must be less than 8 percent. Its air quality must also reach the national secondary standard and no serious atmospheric emergency accidents should occur within the year.

The sustained efforts made by local authorities to combat pollution have been playing a pivotal role in safeguarding the city's air quality. This year, Ningbo plans to rectify an additional 1,500 polluting enterprises, as well as upgrade 25 small and micro-sized industrial parks.