Beijing under red alert for smog - and it's going to get worse before it gets better

Half of all private cars taken off the capital’s roads on Tuesday as schools closed and outdoor construction halted as city’s air quality index hits 400 – classified as ‘hazardous’

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Published: 1:15pm, 8 Dec 2015Updated: 2:59pm, 12 Jan 2018

A view of the Forbidden City from Jingshan park at 9am (from left), at 12pm, at 3pm and at 5pm on Wednesday, the sky becomes clearer. Photos: Simon Song

A batch of smog that prompted Beijing to issue its first red alert will hit its worst level today and linger until late tomorrow, meteorologists predict.

The capital’s air quality index hit 400 yesterday evening, a level classified as “hazardous” and more than 100 higher than the highest level on Monday.

A view of late afternoon at 5pm on December 9 in Beijing. Photo: Simon Song

The highest-level alert, which came into effect at 7am yesterday, prohibited half of all private cars and 30 per cent of municipal government cars from taking to the roads and caused public transport to become more crowded during rush hours, state broadcaster China Central Television reported.

In addition to ordering primary and secondary schools to close, the municipal education bureau had prohibited outdoor sports at colleges and universities, said The Beijing News.

Beijing under red alert for smog - and it's going to get worse before it gets better

Half of all private cars taken off the capital’s roads on Tuesday as schools closed and outdoor construction halted as city’s air quality index hits 400 – classified as ‘hazardous’

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