Beijing Schools Close as City Issues 1st Smog Red Alert

Beijing’s 5.5 million private cars were today kept off the roads, as the capital city enforced its first-ever red alert for pollution as air in the city of over 22 million people turned “hazardous” and schools and construction sites remained shut.

According to Air Quality Index (AQI), the capital city of Beijing was already undergoing orange alert, restricting some construction and industry operations.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, the air quality index stood at 250 Tuesday morning, classed as “very unhealthy” and 10 times higher than the World Health Organization’s recommended levels.

Office worker Cao Yong commented: “This is modern life for Beijing people”.

Environmentalists hoped that the odd-even formula for cars for 15 days starting January 1 may give a fair idea of how effective it is in dealing with severe pollution episodes like the current levels.

After hearing of the school closings late Monday, Beijing mother Jiang Xia booked tickets for a 3,200 kilometer (2,000-mile) flight to the relatively clean southwestern city of Kunming, for herself and her 8-year-old daughter who she said suffers nosebleeds in the smog.

Readings of PM2.5 particles climbed toward 300 micrograms per cubic metre yesterday and are expected to continue rising before the air begins to improve with the arrival of a cold front on Thursday.

Vehicle use will be limited during the red alert period as cars are allowed on the roads on alternating days depending on the odd or even numbers of their license plates.

There previously have been stretches of severe smog in Beijing that lasted more than three days. The public transport strain will be handled by adding more subway trains and buses.

It was the first time for Beijing authorities to declare a “red alert” since emergency air pollution plans were introduced two years ago, although levels were far from the city’s worst. It stated that the PM2.5 was at 290 micrograms per cubic meter.

China’s polluted air has had severe health effects.

China is one of the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gasses, due to numerous coal-fired plants that have fueled the country’s rise as a global economic superpower.

Officials from China’s Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MHURD) have blamed Beijing’s smog on vehicle carbon emissions, while the Ministry of Environmental Protection has said the major causes are coal-burning central heating systems, which MHURD oversees.