A total of 72 Chinese cities including Beijing have issued yellow, orange and red smog alerts, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) on Jan. 2. The ministry said its rectification measures have not yet been fully implemented, and some enterprises in cities severely affected by smog have performed poorly in emissions reduction evaluations.

Ten teams, consisting of 40,000 personnel from multiple levels of govenment, have reportedly been mobilized to inspect over 30,000 enterprises and construction sites, as well as 60,000 vehicles across the country. Reported statistics note that 500 violations have been discovered so far, along with more than 10,000 vehicles illegally on the road.

More than a dozen cities including Beijing, Tianjin and others in neighboring Hebei province will see smog elevated to dangerous levels from Jan. 3 to 7. The severe pollution will persist in some cities, while the overall situation improves, according to the China National Environmental Monitoring Center.

Many cities have taken measures to combat the smog. For instance, Beijing issued an orange alert, its second highest alert level, and set up an inspection team to guarantee implementation of the emergency measures. Tianjin Municipality has allocated 45 teams to inspect areas that may produce smog. Hebei province has adopted a "zero tolerance" stance to environmental violations, while officials in Henan, Shandong and Hebei provinces have jointly pledged to completely eradicate environmental violations.