Buildings enveloped in smog in Shijiazhuang city, Hebei province. [File photo: weather.com.cn]

Smog alerts issued at the local level have reportedly been suspended, according to a photo circulating online showing a notice from the China Meteorological Administration.

Thepaper.cn is quoting a staff member of China Meteorological Administration who says that "this is because the alerts issued by the meteorological administration and environmental protection bureaus are sometimes different. A unanimous system for smog alerts should be set up to avoid confusion."

The detailed work on the establishment of the new system is in discussion and will be made public soon, said the report.

According to weather.com.cn, there had been situations where different alert levels had been issued in Beijing on the same day.

The red smog alert was issued by General Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, while the orange smog alert was issued by China Meteorological Administration.

The new unanimous system on smog alerts will help solve the problem of different organizations following different smog alert standards.

For the time being, according to the General Office of the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, Beijing has its four-tier alert system for air pollution, with red being the highest level of alert, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

When a red alert is issued, it means the Air Quality Index will exceed 200 for over 72 hours. In that case, outdoor construction will be limited, the use of cars will be limited and schools are recommended to have students study at home.