Beijing has issued its first orange smog alert ahead of the winter when air pollution levels usually soar in northern China as power is ramped up to fuel central heating systems.
The orange alert, the second highest in the capital’s four-tier air pollution warning system, was issued by Beijing’s meteorological authority, which is forecasting heavy air pollution until Tuesday night.
Severe air pollution was also recorded in five cities in Heilongjiang province in northeast China on Friday.
Among them was Shuangyashan on the border with Russia, which had the worst pollution in the country on Friday. The city had an air quality index of 476, a level deemed hazardous to health. Readings over 300 usually lead to a warning to avoid all exercise outdoors.
Another mining city in the province, Qitaihe, recorded the second-highest level of air pollution in China on Friday, posting 413 on its air quality index, followed by Jiamusi at 390, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Levels of PM 2.5, the small particulates in the air deemed most harmful to health, were reported to have reached hazardous levels in the province. Air pollution in the cities of Harbin and Jixi in Heilongjiang was categorised as “very unhealthy”.