The booming southern Chinese province of Guangdong reported better air quality in 2019 following a spate of anti-pollution measures, the provincial ecology and environment bureau said Thursday.

Readings of six types of major air pollutants have met the country's air quality standards for five consecutive years. Of the six, the average concentration of PM2.5 was 27 micrograms per cubic meter last year, falling below the 30-microgram level for the first time, the bureau said at a press briefing.

The PM2.5 reading is a gauge monitoring airborne particles of 2.5 microns or less in diameter, which can penetrate deep into people's lungs.

The province, however, faced severe ozone pollution in the past year. The ozone levels in one-third of the 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong failed to meet the country's standard in 2019, it said.

Local authorities will focus their fight on ozone pollution this year, striving to reduce the emissions of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, the agency said.