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Clouds surround buildings in Ji county in Tianjin at sunrise yesterday. Weather conditions are expected to worsen air quality in the municipality today. Photo: Xinhua

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.

Pollution has shrouded the capital several times since the Apec summit ended two weeks ago.

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.

Some cities have imposed emergency measures such as traffic and production limits to cut pollution. Factories in Shijiazhuang , Baoding , Hengshui and other Hebei cities have been idled or reduced output since Sunday to cut emissions by 30 per cent, while one in five private cars and 30 per cent of government vehicles have been taken off the road.

Jinan in Shandong province, which has also been choked by heavy smog since Saturday, has also put emergency pollution measures in place for the first time this year.

Beijing has had several days of relatively clean air since Saturday, after air pollution levels exceeded the maximum on the Air Quality Index last week. The worst-affected areas were the capital and 10 cities in Hebei province.

Many residents expressed their dismay and anger online. "Dahuamao", an internet user, wrote an open letter to the mayor of Zhengzhou in Henan province on Thursday, criticising the government for its failure to deal with air pollution.

The Zhengzhou government responded to the letter on Sunday, saying it would listen to the public complaints and treat them seriously.

"Although treating air pollution is a long process, it is the government's responsibility," the mayor said.

 

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Capital to descend into smog again as bad weather sets in
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