Amid smog crisis, China vows more liveable cities

Tianjin’s red alert will last from midnight Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday.

However, despite the severe air pollution, on Monday 1,000 nursing students took part in a mass dance event to raise awareness for hospice care.

Last week before the photo was taken and uploaded on the internet, Beijing announced air pollution red alert where 50% of the Chinese had to pull their cars of the road to minimize smog and schools were forcibly closed.

As of 8 p.m. Monday, the concentration of PM2.5 particulates, highly hazardous particles 100 times thinner than a human hair of 2.5 micrometers in diameter or less, was about 372 micrometers per cubic meter, roughly 15 times the guideline set by the World Health Organization.

While some balked at the inconveniences, most Beijingers appeared to support the measures after a lengthy stretch when the government was seen as largely ignoring the smog problem.

During the red alert, Beijing pulls half the city’s cars off the roads, except for buses, taxis, electric cars and vehicles for special purposes such as ambulances, while the public transport system including subways increases capacity, the report said. Its second red alert is going to end in Tuesday.

Kindergartens, middle schools and primary schools will also cancel classes today. Red alerts have been imposed in at least five cities including Beijing and four in the surrounding Hebei province, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said yesterday. Key polluting industries will cut production as continuous cleaning operations are conducted in the capital city. China has a four-tier colour-coded weather warning system, with red representing the most severe weather, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

However, the pollution level is expected to reduce to the fourth degree on Wednesday, which is still harmful for the health, and the smog is expected to disperse with the arrival of the cold, according to the center.

The agency added that 13 cities, including China’s northern port city of Tianjin, have issued orange alerts, 17 cities issued yellow alerts, and 5 issued blue alerts.