Air pollution in China has created inclement conditions throughout much of the country, recently affecting more than 10 provinces as of Nov. 2. In the coastal province of Shandong, smog caused 58 tolling stations on nine highways to shut down. More than 30 flights were delayed in that province alone.
Across the country, the Beijing–Hong Kong–Macau Highway and others have been closed, including 16 in Hebei Province and 5 highways in the port city of Tianjin, near Beijing. Several port facilities have also closed.
Northern China is the hardest hit. In Beijing, the city’s Municipal Environment Monitor Center determined that pollution had reached level 5, or severe. In some parts of China, smog has limited visibility to 60–90 feet. This is the third time in a week that Beijing has issued a heavy pollution warning.
Mr. Jiang, a Beijing resident, told Epoch Times, “Today it is extremely smoggy, as the visibility is below 20 meters. The smog is so thick you can’t see very far. My heart isn’t doing too well. I am having a hard time breathing.”
According to the National Meteorological Center, besides the Beijing–Tianjin region, parts of a variety of other provinces, around China, are experiencing smoggy weather.
In Hebei Province, the north of China where Beijing is located, the Hebei Airport Management Group announced on Nov. 2 that all flights out of Shijiazhuang International Airport were delayed or canceled.
This year’s data from the China Meteorological Administration showed a 2.3-day increase in the number of smoggy days as compared with a previous annual average. This year has seen the smoggiest days since 1961.
