Smog in north shows problem is being ignored, say activists

The worsening air quality in much of China last week should serve as a wake-up call that the severity of its pollution woes may have been greatly underestimated, environmentalists warn.

More than a dozen provinces were smothered by a dense, almost suffocating, smog yesterday, with pollution readings in many areas plunging to the worst levels in years.

Although authorities have launched contingency plans, including alerting people about health risks and warning them against going outdoors via television and microblogs, environmentalists say the government is still missing opportunities to tackle the pollution problem and protect people's health.

Greenpeace campaigner Zhou Rong says many people find the health warnings abstract and confusing.

Ma Jun , director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, is frustrated that a key part of the country's emergency plan has not been implemented, even though the Air Quality Index (AQI) has hit its maximum of 500.

"It said when AQI exceeds 300, children and students should not be organised into groups to take part in outdoor sports activities, but unfortunately no such bans were reported recently," Ma said. "It is no secret that our way of development is not sustainable and the total pollution emissions in the region have far exceeded the maximum ecological capacity."