Latest China smog emergency shuts city of 11 million people Heavy smog hits north China city, flights canceled 'Airpocalypse' Hits Harbin, Closing Schools Shanghai to shut schools when air worsens Harbin experiences dense smog BEIJING: Choking smog all but shut down one of northeastern China's largest cities on Monday, forcing schools to suspended classes, snarling traffic and closing the airport, in the country's first major air pollution crisis of the winter. An index measuring PM2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), reached a reading of 1,000 in some parts of Harbin, the gritty capital of northeastern Heilongjiang province and home to some 11 million people. A level above 300 is considered hazardous, while the World Health Organisation recommends a daily level of no more than 20. The smog not only forced all primary and middle schools to suspend classes, but shut the airport and some public bus routes, the official Xinhua news agency reported, blaming the emergency on the first day of the heating being turned on in the city for winter. Visibility was reportedly reduced to 10 metres. The smog is expected to continue for the next 24 hours. Air quality in Chinese cities is of increasing concern to China's stability-obsessed leadership because it plays into popular resentment over political privilege and rising inequality in the world's second-largest economy. Domestic media have run stories describing the expensive air purifiers government officials enjoy in their homes and offices, alongside reports of special organic farms so cadres need not risk suffering from recurring food safety scandals. The government has announced plans over the years to tackle the pollution problem but has made little apparent progress. Users of China's popular Twitter-like Sina Weibo microblogging site reacted with both anger and bitter sarcasm over Harbin's air pollution. "After years of effort, the wise and hard-working people of Harbin have finally managed to skip both the middle-class society and the communist society stages, and have now entered a fairyland society!" wrote on user. Other parts of northeastern China also experienced severe smog, including Tangshan, two hours east of Beijing, and Changchun, the capital of Jilin province which borders Heilongjiang. Heavy smog hits north China city, flights canceled Chinese city paralysed by smog REFILE-Latest China smog emergency shuts city of 11 million people China Air Pollution Becomes Car Manufacturer's Greatest Enemy Smog Puts Focus on Air Outside Beijing Heavy smog hits north China city; flights canceled Super smog hits north China city; flights cancelled Kids Get 'Smog Day' As Pollution Shuts Down Chinese City Chinese pollution causes cancelled flights Northern China smog closes schools and airport in Harbin China: record smog levels shut down city of Harbin China city blanketed in heavy pollution Chinese city blanketed in heavy pollution China Smog, Beijing Air Pollution, Smarter Ideas, China Air Pollution, Beijing Smog, Smog, China Pollution, Reuters, Air Pollution China, Pollution, Chinese Pollution, Air Pollution, Pollution China, Green News Hong Kong Skyline, Victoria Harbor, China Air Pollution, China Pollution, Hong Kong, Fake Hong Kong Skyline, Hong Kong Pollution, Pollution, Air Pollution, Hong Kong Travel, Hong Kong Tourism, Green News China Tourism Pollution, China Air Pollution, China Tourism Industry, China Pollution, China Tourism, China Tourists, Environment, China, Ap, Tourism Industry China, Green News China Pm 2.5 Pollution, China Air Pollution Investment, China Pm Pollution, China Air Pollution, China Air Pollution Levels, China Air Pollution Pm, China Air Pollution Problems, China Air Pollution Deaths, China Air Pollution Plan, Green News China Pollution Problem, China Air Pollution, China Pollution, Air Pollution China, Air Pollution, Pollution, Pollution China, Pollution Problem China, Ap, Green News Chinese Air Pollution, China Air Pollution, China Pollution, China Pollution Study, Chinese Pollution, Pollution, Pollution Study, Air Pollution Study, China Air Pollution Study, Green News Environment, Pollution, China Pollution, Kids, Health, China, China Air Pollution, China Pollution Data, Air Pollution, Green News China Pollution Cars, China Cars, China Smog, Video, China Traffic, China Air Quality, China Air Pollution, China Pollution, China, China Car Obsession, World News Beijing Air Pollution, Video, Canned Air, China Air Pollution, Canned Air China, China Canned Air, Air Pollution, China, Chen Guangbiao, Chinese Billionaire Sells Canned Air in Polluted Beijing, Chinese Canned Air, Small Business News

• published: 22 Oct 2013
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