1st LD-Writethru: Beijing issues orange alert for heavy air pollution

Beijing on Thursday issued an orange alert for heavy air pollution in the next three days.

The orange alert, the second highest in a four-tier color warning system, will be effective from midnight Thursday, according to the city air pollution emergency response office.

An orange alert means heavy pollution -- PM2.5 density of higher than 150 micrograms per cubic meter of air -- for three consecutive days.

When the alert is in force, outdoor activities in schools are canceled and construction projects suspended.

The smog is expected to disperse Sunday evening when a cold front is forecast to hit the city, according to the city's meteorological authorities.

Many other cities in northern China will also see heavy smog in the following three days.

Linfen City in Shanxi Province and cities of Shijiazhuang, Baoding, Langfang, Xingtai, and Handan in Hebei Province have all issued red alerts for heavy smog.

Smog will also hit northern parts of central China's Henan Province, Tianjin and northwest China's Shaanxi Province over the next three days, the National Meteorological Center forecast. Endi