This combo image of two photographs taken on Thursday (above) and two days earlier shows a view of The Forbidden City, the city of emperors, on clear and cloudy days in Beijing. — AFP
This combo image of two photographs taken on Thursday (above) and two days earlier shows a view of The Forbidden City, the city of emperors, on clear and cloudy days in Beijing. — AFP
Beijing’s first ever red alert for smog was lifted Thursday, as blue skies and sunshine replaced the thick haze that covered the city for days.
The Chinese capital put its air pollution emergency plan into action earlier this week, pulling half of all private vehicles off the streets from Tuesday, ordering many factories to close and recommending that some schools allow students to remain home.
The measures were being lifted from midday Thursday, according to a social media post by Beijing’s environmental protection bureau.
Meanwhile, Chinese environmental authorities rebuked the mayor of an eastern city over its ineffectual response to days of choking smog, state media said on Thursday, as the government works to show it is capable of tackling an air pollution crisis. The mayor of Dezhou, a midsised industrial city in the north-eastern province of Shandong, could face more serious consequences if the situation there did not improve.
The red alert, the highest tier of a four-colour warning system, came as heavy smog flooded the city for the second time in as many weeks.
The unprecedented move followed scathing public criticism aimed at the city’s weak response to last week’s thick haze, which saw pollution skyrocket to levels not seen in years.
