China on yellow alert for smog
Xinhua, January 14, 2016 Adjust font size:
China's weather observatory issued a yellow alert Thursday for heavy smog that will shroud the country's northern and eastern regions, including Beijing and Shanghai.
Smog will blanket parts of Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu and Shanghai from Thursday night to Friday night, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecast.
The NMC advised people in these areas to stay indoors and wear masks when going out.
China has a four-tier warning system, with red as the most severe, followed by orange, yellow and blue.
Haze has repeatedly hit China, especially the north, this winter, although the 2015 average PM2.5 density in and around Beijing dropped 10.4 percent from 2014 thanks to government efforts.
China's Minister of Environmental Protection Chen Jining demanded tough and targeted measures to ensure sound air quality in the first quarter of 2016, the remaining coal-burning winter season. Endi