Beijing issues 2nd smog red alert of the month

Police in China have detained 10 company officials for fabricating pollution data, the environment ministry said on Thursday (Dec 17), as the government steps up inspections of businesses amid growing public discontent over pollution.

Visibility in Beijing and some neighbouring regions will be reduced to less than one km during the new bout of smog, and the density of PM 2.5 pollution in some of the regions will exceed 500 micrograms per cubic metre, the centre said.

A man wearing a face mask on a heavily polluted day walks along the Bund in front of the financial district of Pudong in Shanghai on December 15, 2015.

The ‘ red alert’ is set to last 89 hours and will take effect from 7am on Saturday in Beijing until 12:00 am on Wednesday there.

The red alert, the most serious level, will last from 7am Saturday to 12pm Tuesday, limiting vehicles on roads according to odd-even license plate numbers and banning fireworks and outdoor barbecue, the Beijing municipal heavy pollution emergency response headquarters said on Friday.

After decades of unbridled economic growth, China’s leadership has vowed to crack down on severe levels of air, water and soil pollution, including the heavy smog that often blankets major cities.

Shenyang said it was issuing an orange warning for the weekend, meaning it recommended people not spend too much time outdoors, while the Harbin government said it expected generally clear skies over the coming days with some smog spells.

That is more than 20 times the level that is considered safe by the World Health Organization.

The red alert is the highest tier of a four-color warning system.

Outdoor activities in kindergartens and elementary and middle schools in the Chinese capital were suspended over smog concerns on December 7-9.