Experts say that pollution can be scattered within days under the right conditions of a strong breeze. And in the first few days of the initial set of measures, Beijing's air quickly cleared.
But muggy air smothered Beijing over the weekend, sending its air pollution index above 100, the maximum level for what officials call the city's 'blue sky days,' or days of acceptable air quality. China ranks air quality on a scale of zero to 500 with anything below 50 ranked 'good' and above 251 'hazardous.' China says days just above 100 are 'unhealthy for sensitive groups.'
Still, even a level of 100 exceeds typical levels in most European and U.S. cities, and is well above World Health Organization guidelines on some types of pollutants.
Officials blamed bad weekend weather but acknowledged that more could be done.
The new plan announced by the Ministry of Environmental Affairs Thursday said Beijing could shut down all construction sites and another 105 factories, while nearby Tianjin would shut some 56 power plants and factories and surrounding Hebei province could close another 61 plants. Traffic restrictions could be expanded to four more cities.
Beijing has already shut down some 100 plants and the city of nearby Tangshan has already temporarily stopped 267 factories. Restrictions are in effect as far away as Shanxi Province and Inner Mongolia, regions rich in coal and heavy industry. Studies show as much as 70% of Beijing's pollution can blow in from outside the city.
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