- Title: China once again shrouded in smog
- Date: 4th December 2016
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (DECEMBER 4, 2016) (REUTERS) MAN TAKING PICTURE/ FORBIDDEN CITY NORTH GATE OF FORBIDDEN CITY WOMAN WITH CHINESE FLAG BUILDINGS HALF VISIBLE THROUGH SMOG MAN WITH MASK ON WOMAN LOOKING OUT OVER CITY BUILDINGS SHROUDED IN SMOG VISITORS FROM HUBEI PROVINCE, LIU JUN AND PENG JING POSING FOR PHOTOS HANDS HOLDING MASKS (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 26 YEAR OLD VISITOR FROM HUBEI, LIU JUN, SAYING: "The pollution's doesn't just affect the health of people living here, even for people like me, I've only been here two or three days but my throat feels really uncomfortable." GIRLS WITH MASKS WALKING (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 23 YEAR OLD VISITOR FROM HUBEI, PENG JING, SAYING: "The pollution makes people like us from outside Beijing feel really bad, I think for Beijingers living in an environment like this, their chances for developing a healthy mind and body aren't very high."
- Embargoed: 19th December 2016 08:13
- Keywords: China smog air pollution air quality PMI reading health Beijing fog Tianjin Shijiazhuang Chengdu
- Location: BEIJING / CHENGDU CITY, SICHUAN PROVINCE / TIANJIN / SHIJIAZHUANG CITY, HEBEI PROVINCE, CHINA
- City: BEIJING / CHENGDU CITY, SICHUAN PROVINCE / TIANJIN / SHIJIAZHUANG CITY, HEBEI PROVINCE, CHINA
- Country: China
- Reuters ID: LVA0015BGW7YD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
Parts of China were once again shrouded in smog on Sunday (December 4), causing flights to be grounded and roads closed.
In parts of Beijing, concentrations of small breathable particles known as PM2.5, a key smog indicator, got into the 400s overnight according to data from the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, a level considered hazardous.
World Health Organisation guidelines recommend an annual average of 10 micrograms.
Tourists visiting Beijing's Forbidden City said their throats felt uncomfortable, having been in the capital for just two days.
"The pollution makes people like us from outside Beijing feel really bad, I think for Beijingers living in an environment like this, their chances for developing a healthy mind and body aren't very high," said Peng Jing, 23-year-old visitor from Hubei.
State broadcaster CCTV reported some cities across China experiencing a wave of smog and fog, causing bad visibility.
CCTV said more than 20,000 passengers were stranded at Shuangliu airport in Chengdu, capital of southwest Sichuan province, as of 1 p.m. (0500 GMT) on Sunday.
The city released warnings for both fog and smog in the morning, asking drivers to be careful on road.
Visibility was less than 10 metres earlier on Sunday, and some flights at the Shuangliu airport resumed as of 12 p.m. (0400 GMT), CCTV added.
In Tianjin, 29 flights were delayed and 10 cancelled as of 11 a.m. (0300 GMT), while 19 highways remained completely closed, CCTV reported.
According to the city's environmental monitoring centre, air quality index (AQI) in parts of Tianjin went up as high as over 400 as of 3 p.m. (0700 GMT), a level deemed "hazardous" on most scales and which can have long-term impacts on health.
The environmental Monitoring Centre of Hebei province reported its capital Shijiazhuang city's AQI was 500 as of 2 p.m. (0600 GMT). - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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