New Delhi: A thick haze of smog shrouded the Chinese capital and parts of northern China Friday, forcing the authorities to shut highways and playgrounds, media reports said.
Visibility was down to less than 200 metres, and the top of Beijing's tallest buildings “vanished” in the haze, the reports said.
This comes at a time when China, the world's largest emitter of the greenhouse gases that are responsible for climate change, is facing scrutiny at the ongoing international climate talks at COP26 summit in Glasgow, Scotland. Chinese President Xi Jinping did not attend the summit in person, making a written address instead.
As Beijing issued its first heavy pollution alert for the fall and winter, the authorities suspended some outdoor construction and factory operations too, besides outdoor school activities, Reuters reported.
The heavy pollution alert also comes in the immediate aftermath of China ramping up its coal output, which was done after supply chains faced an energy crunch in recent months due to strict emissions targets and high fossil fuel prices, news agency AFP reported.
About 60 per cent of China’s energy is generated from burning coal, the report said.
A monitoring station at the US embassy in Beijing defined pollutants levels detected on Friday as "very unhealthy", the AFP report said.
Small particulate matter, or PM 2.5, levels hovered around 230, which is far above the limit of 15 recommended by the World Health Organization. PM 2.5 is said to cause respiratory illnesses, penetrating deep into the lungs.
Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei is a heavily industrialised region, and it often suffers from heavy smog during this time of the year, especially on days when there is no wind.
The pollution levels have triggered concerns ahead of the Winter Olympics that China is set to host in Beijing and the nearby Zhangjiakou city from February 4-20.
The Chinese authorities blamed the pollution on a combination of "unfavourable weather conditions and regional pollution spread", the AFP report said, adding that the smog could last until at least Saturday evening.
A cold wave is arriving from Siberia over the weekend, according to reports, and it is expected to disperse the pollution.