A heavy smog that descended on Beijing Monday continued to
envelop the capital city early Tuesday, causing highways to close
and affecting dozens of flights.
Visibility in Beijing was less than 1,000 meters and in part
only 500 meters on Monday, according to the Beijing Meteorological
Observatory, which issued smog warnings to motorists and the
public.
Sixteen flights were delayed and nine cancelled by Monday
evening at Beijing Capital International Airport, sources with the
airport said.
Highways from Beijing to Tianjin, Shenyang, capital of northeast
China's Liaoning Province, Shijiazhuang, capital of neighboring
Hebei Province, and Kaifeng City, central China's Henan Province,
have been closed due to the smog.
The smog also caused serious air pollution, making Monday the
most polluted day so far this month, according to the Beijing
Environmental Protection Monitoring Center.
People were advised to reduce outdoor activities as much as
possible and polluters asked to take measures to reduce emissions,
according to the bureau.
Fog and pollutants that could not be diffused due to low air
fluidity in the past few days resulted in the smog, said
meteorologists, who forecast the smog may disappear late
Tuesday.
(Xinhua News Agency December 12, 2006)