Smog returns to Beijing as political elites depart
Capital hit by worst pollution of the year so far as officials reveal new criteria for red alert
After intermittent blue skies, smog has returned to the capital and its surrounding regions as political elites wrapped up their annual meetings and began to leave the city this week.
The National Meteorological Centre said the air pollution – the worst to hit Beijing so far this year – would last until Tuesday, with a minor improvement on Saturday.
The pall came as the city announced new criteria for issuing the red smog alert, depending on readings across one and two-day stretches.
On Wednesday afternoon, the municipal government issued a yellow alert – the second lowest on the four-tier scale, warning the public to take precautions. The reading of the air quality index stayed above 250, with PM2.5 levels hitting 274 micrograms per cubic metre at noon on Thursday.
That is more than 10 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s recommended exposure level over a 24-hour period.
Pollution Map, a mobile phone app developed by the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, a Beijing-based NGO, showed the pollution originated in surrounding Hebei province and Tianjin. The map uses official data on pollution and meteorological information.