China started re-opening roads and airports in Beijing and surrounding areas that have been shut by record high levels of smog. An estimated 430 million people were expected to travel during the holiday that ends today and with the air quality index "improving" from its highest possible level to below 200 (the line between heavy and medium pollution), some will be able to return home. The clips below are stunning (and no that is not 'fog'); summed up best by one Shanghai-based accountant that Bloomberg reports [3] noted, "I won’t go to heavily polluted places like China’s north region as it’s either hazardous to your health or causes trouble when traveling."
Beijing Air Poluution Hits Highest
China smog shrouds Beijing and Northern China
Via Bloomberg [3],
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“Beijing will see light rain tonight, which will make it easier for air pollutants to dissipate,” Beijing Meteorological Bureau said today in its official microblog. The bureau lifted a yellow alert on smog at 8:50 a.m., predicting that visibility will improve.
The closures yesterday of six expressways and disruption at Beijing Capital International Airport underscore the severity of pollution that has become the top cause of social unrest in China.
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Police closed six expressways linking the capital city to Shanghai, Tianjin and Harbin yesterday, and 47 flights at Beijing Capital International Airport were affected.
Some parts of the expressways linking Beijing to Shanghai and Tianjin were still closed as of 9:40 a.m
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The State Council, China’s cabinet, said last month it will cut coal consumption, close steel plants and control the number of cars on its roads to gradually eliminate heavily polluted days in as soon as a decade.
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China will build a nationwide network within three to five years to monitor the impact of air pollution on health, the official Xinhua News Agency reported on Oct. 5, citing the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.