Beijing again shrouded in smog after brief respite
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 30 November, 2014, 5:29am
UPDATED : Sunday, 30 November, 2014, 5:29am
Andrea Chen [email protected]
Pedestrians wear masks to protect themselves as heavy smog returns to the capital. Photo: AP
Heavy smog returned to the capital yesterday, with the air pollution reading at the US embassy hitting 429 in the late afternoon, up from 173 the day before.
A reading above 300 is deemed "hazardous" by both mainland and American standards and all residents are urged to avoid outdoor exercise.
It's the second time the embassy's reading has risen above 400 since world leaders left Beijing after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit ended on November 11.
Beijing had some relief from the smog early this month after authorities closed factories in surrounding provinces and reduced the number of vehicles on the road for the summit. But pollution re-emerged as the city returned to business as usual.
The municipal environmental bureau's air quality index reading was below 300. The Beijing Meteorological Bureau issued a yellow smog alert - the lowest in a three-tier warning system - in the early hours of yesterday. Weather was "very adverse for pollutants to be diluted, dispersed and cleaned up" due to low winds, the forecast said.
Conditions were expected to ease today as a cold front pushed winds towards the capital, the bureau said.
Residents who have encountered several rounds of choking pollution over the past two weeks again turned to dark humour to express their frustration. "I thought I had cataracts when I opened the curtains this morning. Thank God it's just smog," said one microblogger.
Readings fell below 100 for most of the first half of the month, thanks to the factory shutdowns and a 10-day vehicle restriction system. Authorities have blamed the recent spike in pollution on the resumption of winter heating, which is provided by coal-burning factories.
The municipal government announced on Wednesday it would discuss the feasibility of making the vehicle restriction measures permanent. Under the system, private vehicles would be banned from the city centre on alternating days based on their number plates.
A survey conducted by a research centre associated with the state-run newspaper Global Times following the summit found that more than half of the respondents supported prolonging the vehicle ban. More than 1,000 people were polled.
But opponents said on social media that emissions from private cars were not the sole cause of smog, and the restriction intruded on the rights of citizens.
