Half of Beijing’s private cars were ordered off the streets yesterday and many construction sites and schools closed after authorities in the smog-shrouded capital responded to scathing public criticism with their first red alert for pollution.
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Outdoor construction work is barred and some industrial plants were told to cease or reduce operations, with some schools were also urged to close.
In addition, 30 per cent of government cars will be banned from streets on an odd/even basis.
According to data on the website of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, concentrations of PM2.5, a particulate which is considered as most risky to health, was reported to be 173 micrograms per cubic meter in the past 24 hours near Tiananmen Square in the center of the capital.
Readings of PM2.5 particles climbed above 300 microgrammes per cubic metre in some parts of the city and were expected to continue rising before the air begins to improve with the arrival of a cold front tomorrow.
At least two million cars were taken off the road as Beijing rolled out its emergency response plan following its first-ever red alert for smog.
Office worker Cao Yong commented: “This is modern life for Beijing people”.
Beijing recorded its highest level of air pollution on December 7, Monday afternoon.
The pollution index reached 440 when measured inside the respiratory ward, almost 20 times the World Health Organization’s recommended level. “I also can’t drive today because of the restrictions”, wrote one parent on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter.
The hazardous smog enveloping Beijing highlights the urgency for a deal at the Paris summit to cope with climate change, China on Tuesday said as it acknowledged that the recurring smog could be due to its rapid economic growth. Beijing authorities said at the time that the initial forecasts were for less time so no alert was called for, but critics maintained they were seeking to avoid the toughest restrictions for political reasons.
China’s central government has been criticized for laying out contradicting accounts about what has caused the acute air pollution that has smothered northern China on Monday and triggered a red-alert in Beijing on Tuesday.
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Six people have died and another four have been injured in a 33-vehicle pileup in heavy smog on a highway in north China’s Shanxi Province on Tuesday morning. Hopefully, the country’s efforts will be massive enough to stop the air pollution affecting its citizens like what is now happening in Beijing.
