Beijing Chokes under Smog after Second Red Alert - Rawan For Media Artistic and Production
The
notice from the capital's environmental bureau ordered factories to
close and pulled half of all private cars off the streets, among other
measures, as extreme levels of pollution in the city's air were observed
for the third time this month.
The
red alert, the highest tier of a four-colour warning system, will last
until Tuesday, according to a statement on the Beijing Municipal
Environmental Protection Bureau's website Friday.
On
the streets of the city centre, which are normally blocked with
traffic, cars were moving with ease as the measures came into effect.
"I'm
loving this traffic! Finally we can get around the second ring-road
without getting stuck in a jam," one user of the Twitter-like social
network Weibo joked.
"Is it still possible to live in this city?" another asked.
On
Weibo and the messaging service WeChat many users said they planned to
spend the weekend holed up in their homes to avoid the "airpocalypse".
Elderly people braved the smog regardless for their morning exercises in
parks and city squares.
The
off-white smog reduced visibility, blurring the edges of even nearby
buildings, though the concentration of toxic microparticles had not yet
reached the highs recorded in recent weeks, according to official
readings.
Counts
of PM2.5 -- harmful microscopic particles that penetrate deep into the
lungs -- regularly exceeded 300 micrograms per cubic metre during last
week's red alert, according to the US embassy, which issues independent
readings.
The World Health Organization's recommended maximum exposure is 25 over a 24-hour period.
Beijing
issued its first red alert on December 7, but lifted it three days
later after winds from the north dispersed the bad air, leaving clear
blue skies.
Most
of the country's greenhouse gas emissions come from the burning of coal
for electricity and heating -- particularly when demand peaks in winter
-- which is also the key cause of smog.
The
recurrent pollution has driven Beijing residents to hospitals in
growing numbers, according to a report on Internet giant Tencent's news
portal.
By AFP, 17 hours 58 minutes ago
Beijing
choked under a thick layer of toxic smog Saturday, after the Chinese
capital issued its second-ever red alert and put its emergency response
plan into action.
choked under a thick layer of toxic smog Saturday, after the Chinese
capital issued its second-ever red alert and put its emergency response
plan into action.
The
notice from the capital's environmental bureau ordered factories to
close and pulled half of all private cars off the streets, among other
measures, as extreme levels of pollution in the city's air were observed
for the third time this month.
The
red alert, the highest tier of a four-colour warning system, will last
until Tuesday, according to a statement on the Beijing Municipal
Environmental Protection Bureau's website Friday.
On
the streets of the city centre, which are normally blocked with
traffic, cars were moving with ease as the measures came into effect.
"I'm
loving this traffic! Finally we can get around the second ring-road
without getting stuck in a jam," one user of the Twitter-like social
network Weibo joked.
"Is it still possible to live in this city?" another asked.
On
Weibo and the messaging service WeChat many users said they planned to
spend the weekend holed up in their homes to avoid the "airpocalypse".
Elderly people braved the smog regardless for their morning exercises in
parks and city squares.
The
off-white smog reduced visibility, blurring the edges of even nearby
buildings, though the concentration of toxic microparticles had not yet
reached the highs recorded in recent weeks, according to official
readings.
Counts
of PM2.5 -- harmful microscopic particles that penetrate deep into the
lungs -- regularly exceeded 300 micrograms per cubic metre during last
week's red alert, according to the US embassy, which issues independent
readings.
The World Health Organization's recommended maximum exposure is 25 over a 24-hour period.
Beijing
issued its first red alert on December 7, but lifted it three days
later after winds from the north dispersed the bad air, leaving clear
blue skies.
Most
of the country's greenhouse gas emissions come from the burning of coal
for electricity and heating -- particularly when demand peaks in winter
-- which is also the key cause of smog.
The
recurrent pollution has driven Beijing residents to hospitals in
growing numbers, according to a report on Internet giant Tencent's news
portal.
By AFP, 17 hours 58 minutes ago
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