Beijing issued a yellow alert on Friday, requiring industrial plants to reduce or shut down production and forcing building and demolition at construction sites to stop.
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The concentration of PM2.5, the particulates that pose the greatest risk to human health, as of 9.34pm last Saturday was 300 micrograms per cubic m – which is about 12 times higher than World Health Organisation-recommended limits.
The air quality worsened Sunday and the center upgraded the alert without providing an updated pollution reading.
High humidity, strong thermal inversion and low wind speed are among the disadvantageous meteorological conditions preventing pollutants’ dispersion, the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau explained on Sunday.
Environmental issues are very pertinent in China, which produces most of its electricity by burning coal, making it the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter.
The ministry said the number of cities affected by heavy pollution had reached 23, stretching across 530,000 square km, an area the size of Spain, but a cold front beginning on Wednesday would see the situation improve.
Levels of the tiny airborne particle PM2.5 rose “beyond index” to more than 500 micrograms per cubic meter, according to the US Embassy, which advises people to stay indoors and avoid activity at such levels.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government yesterday said it had achieved its targets for reducing major pollutants outlined in its five-year plan ending 2015 ahead of schedule, according to Xinhua news agency.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are both in Paris and both were scheduled to meet U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday to give momentum to the two-week negotiations.
