Pollution warnings as cities in northeast China shrouded in smog
- Weather bureau issues orange pollution alerts, the second-highest, for Tianjin and seven provinces in the region
- Visibility is down to less than 50 metres in the worst-affected areas
Cities in northeast China were blanketed in thick smog over the weekend, with the weather bureau issuing orange smog alerts – its second-highest warning – for seven areas in the region.
The central meteorological administration on Sunday warned of heavy smog in Tianjin and cities across Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Hubei provinces after the alerts were issued on Saturday.
It said visibility was less than 200 metres in some areas in central and southern Hebei, Shandong, central and eastern Henan, and in northern Hubei. In the worst-affected areas, visibility was down to less than 50 metres. The pollution warnings are expected to be in place until Monday.
The latest alerts come a day after a new study from the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago said China’s average life expectancy could be increased by 2.9 years if its air quality improved to levels recommended by the World Health Organisation.
While EPI director Michael Greenstone said China was “winning its war against pollution” with large improvements, its average emission levels continue to be much higher than WHO limits.
