Northwest China cities halt heavy industries to curb pollution
Heavy fog can be seen in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province on December 26.
Two cities in northwestern China, Xi'an and Yinchuan, advised residents to stay indoors, limited heavy industrial production and halted coal processing, warning of heavy pollution over the coming days with thick fog.
The Central Meteorological Observatory also predicted dense haze for the north and east from early yesterday to tomorrow before a cold wave arrives to dissipate the fog.
In Xi'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province, authorities issued a red alert yesterday expecting serious pollution until today, and enforced mandatory emergency measures to reduce emissions, including asking the public to take public transportation and firms to allow flexible work arrangements.
The city asked companies, institutions, and construction sites that emit pollutants to adjust production schedules and proactively reduce emissions, CCTV said.
The capital of Ningxia region, Yinchuan, activated measures from Tuesday afternoon to cut emissions of exhaust pollutants by more than 20 percent while ensuring enterprises continued normal operating conditions.
Moderate pollution is forecast until today in Yinchuan, which was shrouded in gray, photos from China News Service showed, with a chance of severe pollution yesterday.
The city tried to slow or even halt industrial production, and strengthen pollution controls for key industries such as power stations and petrochemical, chemical, metallurgical and cement plants.
The national weather observatory warned of low visibility in dense fog of less than 200 metres in parts of northern and eastern provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui as well as southwestern Chongqing city, potentially disrupting transport and traffic during peak travel before the new year holiday.
