As the capital deals with the unhealthy air quality a thick blanket of smog has brought to the city, Beijing has advised kids and senior citizens to stay inside their homes, according to a report by StraitsTimes.com.
The advice followed the yellow warning alert issued by the local environmental bureau yesterday, Feb. 15. According to the U.S. Embassy pollution monitor, the concentration of PM2.5 in the air was recorded at 161 micrograms per cubic meter earlier during the day.
The recorded level yesterday was six times the recommended maximum day-long exposure limit of an individual to PM2.5.
Over the following days, the agency expects air quality will eventually improve. The yellow alert, which is Beijing’s third-highest level in the city’s four-tier warning scale, will then be lifted.
Beijing’s smog problem is a recurring phenomenon that highlights the gravity of air pollution in the city and the need for tougher measures. According to the report, Beijing’s annual average concentrations of PM2.5 fell to 10 percent in 2016.
The air quality, however, remained roughly the same, with air quality below government standards for nearly half of the year.
To help improve the air quality in Beijing, the local government has started banning high-emission vehicles in populated areas, Xinhua reported.
Fang Li, head of the Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, also announced the city’s plans to create a special task force in the first quarter of 2017 to help apprehend illegal polluters, according to Beijing News.
Fang reportedly added that Beijing also plans to lessen its dependence on coal by cutting its use by 30 percent to 7 million tonnes this year.
As a whole, the national government has already drafted several policies to deal with persistent smog in the long run. The measures include the restriction of industrial activity around Beijing.