Air Pollution: First Ever Red Smog Alert In Beijing

A red pollution alert has been announced by the municipal government of Beijing effective from 7 am of December 08 to noon of December 10. Such a pollution alert has been raised for the first time in Chinese history.

Authorities concerned are forced to reduce vehicular plying up to 30%, impose complete banning on heavy vehicular movement and advice citizens to avoid toddler movement in a red pollution alert situation. According to Chinese concerned regulations, authorities need to distinguish and ensure flexible business hours while shunning down large scale outdoor activities.

Following the criteria of red alert situation, Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau’s official website, weibomonday.com, displays a statement that instructs industrial companies to limit or shun production, real estates to ban outdoor construction works, toddlers’ institutions to cancel classes and citizens to outdoor activity and choose public transportation.

Beijing issued an orange alert, the second worst level of pollution on December 01. Intriguingly, PM2.5 concentration (that defines concentration of particles larger than 0.0025mm or 2.5 micron ) was 666 mpcm (micrograms per cubic meter) near Tienanmen Square during first week of December and measured 208 mpcm on December 8, according to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center. Maintaining Orange alert in critical moments and then issue of red alert in relatively less hazardous moments- intrigued Bloomberg termed the move as a remarkable one.

The environment activists have repeatedly been questioning on government’s ability to tackle down environmental hazardous situation. Particulate concentration has already risen 25 times higher than the WHO recommended level. Though late, huge cry from the environment activists and international organizations have prompted the Chinese government to upgrade alert status.

However, the Chinese governments delayed action has come under scrutiny and drawn immense criticism from environment activist. China’s failure in declaring red alert in most critical moments has bolstered momentum of their campaigns.

According to Germany’s Max Plank Institute and Nature Magazine’s reports, 1.4 million premature deaths have taken place in China during recent days as an aftermath of severe air pollution.  Reason for such a level of air pollution has been analyzed as a certain outcome of factory discharges and unfavorable weather conditions, informs National Meteorological Society of China.

On the contrary, Ministry of Environment protection accused automobile emissions as the main source for high degree of air pollution on Sunday, December 1. The ministry has also urged local governments to initiate immediate effective measures to cope with the pollution.

While most of the factories remained shutting due to the prevailing red alert situation, some businesses see a huge blow. Sale of air purifying equipment boosted and travelling appeared to be more popular among the Beijing citizens in a bid to avoid polluted air, defying the red alert situation.

Sale of pear and pomegranate juices rises following huge promotional campaigns since these are believed to be traditional remedial measures against lung problem.