Stable autumn weather and burning of harvest stalks create blanket of smog across northern and eastern China
Farmers would sooner pay paltry fines for burning harvest waste than plough it back into their fields or collect it for recycling
It’s smog season again: humid but stable weather, with illegal burning of grain stalks in the countryside creating a blanket of grey sky right across northern and eastern China that meteorologists warn will last at least until Saturday night.
Beijing issued a blue warning for air pollution on Friday afternoon, warning the public to reduce outdoor activities and take precautions as the official air quality index reached 344 in the afternoon, meaning the air was severely polluted.
Levels of PM2.5 particulates considered most damaging to human health reached 294 micrograms per cubic metre in central Beijing, official monitoring showed. The World Health Organisation’s recommended safety level is 25mcg per cubic metre.
The vast blanket of pollution also covered Hebei, Henan and Shandong provinces in the north.
All 13 cities in Jiangsu province reported medium or heavy pollution, the Yangtze Evening News reported. Visibility in Xuzhou dropped to below 500 metres.
Rao Xiaoqin, of the National Meteorological Centre, said the stable conditions trapped pollutants in the air, and blamed rampant burning of grain stalks as a major cause of the smog.
A cold front forecast for Saturday is expected to clear the smog in Beijing and parts of Hebei, whereas the Shandong provincial meteorological department said the smog would last at least until Sunday.
