[File photo]

Due to unfavorable meteorological conditions, heavy smog has lately shrouded more than 60 cities in China, affecting a total of seven provinces. Despite the fact that different alert levels have been issued to tackle the air pollution, smog may continue to plague cities around northern China.

According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP), large-scale air pollution affected the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from Dec. 2 to 4. Red alerts were issued in nine cities including Shijiazhuang, while 24 cities and 22 cities issued orange and yellow alerts respectively. Based on China’s four-tier color-coded system for air pollution, red represents the most serious pollution, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

In order to effectively tackle the heavy smog, the MEP sent early warnings to local authorities in provinces including Shandong and Henan on Nov. 29. Meanwhile, Beijing authorities have dispatched 1,030 inspectors to examine over 1,100 possible sources of pollution, while 24 officials are being held accountable for neglecting the issue.

The government’s swift response was met with satisfaction from many Chinese netizens, though some pointed out that even faster and more effective measures should be taken to tackle the pollution.