(Yicai Global) April 12 -- China has installed an environmental protection expert as acting mayor in the country's most-polluted city of Linfen in central Shanxi province.

Dong Yibing, the former ecology and environment head for the province was handed the position during the local People's Congress earlier this month, National Business Daily reported. 

Linfen is a coal mining hub and ranked last in terms of air quality among China's 169 major cities last year, according to official data. 

Dong replaces Liu Yuqiang who resigned after being mayor since 2016. The report did not disclose Liu's next job. The country's environment ministry had twice summoned Liu for talks in relation to dealing with the city's pollution. 

Linfen's air pollution over the past two years is not only due to its geological location but also because of control issues regarding pollution sources. Linfen aims to bolster environmental management through the appointment, the report said. 

The Chinese government has continuously enhanced environment protection since 2017. In addition to Linfen, officials in charge of the departments of ecology and environment in many other cities were also directly appointed as the municipal party secretaries or mayors. These include Liaoyuan in Jilin province, Bengbu in Anhui and Zhengzhou in Henan.

Editor: William Clegg