Flights resume and schools reopen as smog eases in Harbin
Residents of northeast Chinese city had been advised to stay indoors
A bout of choking smog that brought life to a standstill in a far northeast Chinese city for three days has dissipated, with flights resuming and students returning to school on Wednesday.
The heavy pollution, which drew national and international headlines, was largely due to coal-fired heating and the burning of large amounts of straw as winter approaches, local environmental officials in the city of Harbin have said.
Figures from monitoring stations on Wednesday morning showed that levels of the most harmful airborne particles, known as PM2.5, had dropped to an average of 123 micrograms per cubic metre in Harbin.
That was down sharply from Monday’s figure of 1,000 micrograms per cubic metre. The World Health Organisation’s recommended standard is 25.
Video: a view of Beijing's smog from atop the Forbidden City