Smog alert continues for Beijing after brief weekend respite
Pollution expected to peak in Beijing tomorrow amid poor conditions for dispersing contamination and the onset of winter heating programmes
Smog is expected to again choke Beijing this week after a brief respite brought on by a cold front, the authorities have warned.
According to Beijing's Environmental Protection Bureau, the air quality would deteriorate today and reach its worst tomorrow, peaking at a "serious" pollution level that would pose a health risk to the entire population, Xinhua reported.
The smog is expected to ease on Thursday and Friday before worsening again on Saturday and finally dispersing on Sunday with the arrival of a new cold front.
"Light to medium" smog is also predicted for other parts of northern China because of low winds.
The weather conditions today in southern Beijing, western Tianjin and western Hebei will be "very adverse for the pollutants to be diluted, dispersed and cleaned up", according to forecasts.
Yu Jianhua, head of the bureau's atmospheric division, said emissions had increased mainly due to the onset of winter heating and burning of coal in rural areas. Output from vehicles, industry and construction sites was relatively stable, counter to speculation that the pollution was payback as hundreds of factories ordered shut during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit earlier this month sought to make up for lost production time.