China to close schools during heavy smog
Print Edition
China will suspend schools, slash working hours and ban outdoor activities during heavily polluted days, the environment watchdog announced yesterday.
When the highest-level warning is issued, a wide variety of measures will come into force including closure of factories, restrictions on vehicle use, dust controls and a ban on outdoor barbecues, according to the circular from the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Public security departments will be told to be tough on erring vehicles, including phasing out older ones, and ensure there are not too many of them on the roads, the ministry said.
Reducing air pollution, particularly the heavy smog which frequently smothers large cities, especially in the north, has become the top priority for China.
An 8-year-old-girl who lived near a busy thoroughfare in the coastal province of Jiangsu was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. The girl is the country’s youngest reported lung cancer patient and it is being blamed on pollution.
In the northeastern city of Harbin, primary and middle schools suspended classes during heavy smog late last month. Airport and some bus routes were also closed.
The ministry said in the circular that during severe pollution, large-scale outdoor activities should cease; kindergartens, primary and middle schools should suspend classes; businesses and institutions should adopt flexible working hours.
The smog has impacted on public health and will only get worse in winter, when coal-fired heating begins belching out large quantities of pollutants.
The circular calls for rigid management of coal burning, polluting industries and motor vehicles while encouraging use of natural gas.
Demand for energy rises during winter and fossil fuel is used to heat homes and offices. Increased pollution from nonindustrial consumption is the main cause of smog, said Xie Zhenhua, the deputy head of the National Development and Reform Commission.
In October, most eastern and central provinces were smog-bound for 10 to 15 days, and some parts of Shanxi and Henan for 20 days, according to China Meteorological Administration.
Weak winds and relatively high humidity contributed to the smog.
Beijing is one of the most heavily polluted cities in winter, with the density of nitrogen oxide perhaps two to three times higher than summer, said Luo Jianhua, from the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.
According to a plan unveiled in September, particulate matter will be cut by at least 10 percent in major cities by 2017. In Beijing and surrounding areas, PM2.5, a key indicator of air pollution, should fall about 25 percent by 2017 from 2012 levels.
China has built 668 air quality monitoring stations in 114 cities, and the figure could rise to 884 stations in 161 cities by the end of the year, according to the ministry.
Any interference, tampering or falsification during monitoring will be severely punished, ministry officials said.
Since the beginning of 2013, 74 cities including Beijing, Tianjin and those in neighboring Hebei Province, the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta have been monitoring and reporting major pollutants such as sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, inhalable particles, ozone, carbon monoxide and fine particles.
A pilot air quality warning system in the cities of Beijing, Tianjin and surrounding areas has been used since November 1. When the air quality index is set to go beyond 500, a level one warning — the highest — will be issued. A level two warning will be triggered when the index is expected to read between 300 and 500 for three days in a row, and a level three warning for readings of 200-300.
In Beijing, cars with license plates of odd and even numbers will be allowed on roads on alternating days, and schools will close when a level one alert is issued, according to the city’s emergency response program.
According to a report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, more frequent smoggy weather will hinder air, water and land traffic due to low visibility; affect lung function and the immune system; and lead to more deaths and chronic disease.
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