Sixty percent of cities in China affected by smog: Ministry of Environmental Protection

As many as 60 percent of the cities in China have been plagued by smog, according to the latest data of the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

As of December 20, 2016, 60 percent of the cities, including 54 in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, experienced the level of severe or worse rated by the daily average air quality index. The figure had already improved from that of the previous day. Among them, 42 cities had reached severe level; 35 of them were in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.  

Shijiazhuang in north China's Hebei Province was the most polluted city on the 20th, with record showing its PM2.5 reached 614 micrograms/cubic meters, while Beijing reached daily 376 micrograms/cubic meters of PM 2.5.

Measures have been set up in the affected cities to battle with smog, including emission reduction measuring; restricting vehicle-use; real-time monitoring; deploying more pure electric buses; and censoring the largest industrial air pollutant emission process. 

It is forecasted that the forth coming cold air will encourage pollutant dispersal and the severe weather will be alleviated in many cities. Beijing will lift its red alert for air pollution after Wednesday night as cold air is expected to drift in.