Flight cancellations and delays in Beijing were caused by severe smog.
Saturday marked the second alert of this month in China’s capital, as the levels of pollution climbed to unhealthy levels. The inhabitants of Beijing were warned and were asked to prepare for a wave that would occur during the weekend. Shanghai and other regions in the Yangtze River Delta were expected to face the smog.
Beijing was affected the most by the smog, and experts expected the pollution level to exceed 500 in the capital and in some parts of the Hebei province, that surrounds it. The region Beijing-Hebei-Tianjin has been fighting the heavy smog for over 15 days now. The people were warned to remain in their homes if the index would surpass the 300 limit. Higher levels are extremely harmful to humans, according to the World Health Organization.
The first time the red alert was issued this month in Beijing, the levels of pollution dropped with 30% in the first 10 hours after the alert.
The people of Beijing are aware of the high pollution in the city. There is even a system that forces the car owners to use other ways of transportation for at least one day per week. As the smog wave is still affecting the city, all the outdoor constructing will be stopped until further notice.
One of the spokesmen of the foreign ministry, Hong Lei, said that the protection of the environment is still an important goal of the Chinese government. As the situation in China is getting worse every day, the government will issue new policies.
Representatives say that the smog isn’t as bad as it looks, the city facing only a yellow pollution alert. Apparently, during the winter, as the Chinese people in the North use coal for heating and as the weather is still, they aggravate the pollution and create heavy waves of smog that can last for days. The main problem still comes from the energy and industry departments, that need to cut the number of emissions.
As the pollution increased in Beijing, more and more residents ended up in hospitals. The Beijing citizens are advised to decrease or stop the outdoor activities of their children and when they go outside they are warned to wear masks. Schools and kindergartens will suspend their classes and the use of the vehicles is suspended. Health expert say that smoking is less dangerous than breathing the current Chinese smog.
.As the second alert of this month in China’s capital was issued, many flight cancellations and delays occurred this Christmas, stopping people from going to see their loved ones or going on trips.
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