Beijing has issued a yellow alert after thick fog enveloped the capital city of China on Saturday, said the National Meteorological Centre (NMC), as quoted by the Xinhua news agency
According to the news agency, Beijing's Air Quality Index (AQI) went up to 213 on Saturday morning and PM2.5 fine particulate matter was the major pollutant.
The NMC also forecasted more thick fog to follow over the weekend.
China Daily reported that some expressways were closed down due to poor visibility.
Residents of northern and north-eastern regions witnessed severe fogging also on 14 October (Friday). On Friday afternoon Beijing's AQI hit 300 and the visibility also dropped to below 200m in some areas, reported Xinhua. Beijing and Liaoning province were the worse affected.
According to the Straits Times, smog has been a serious issue since 12 October in the capital and on 13 October, Beijing issued a blue alert for air pollution.
Blue is the lowest emergency response on a four-tier system, where as is the third-highest alert.
Since September, residents have been dealing with days of extreme fog.
Major air pollutant readings soared in the month according to data from the Ministry of Environmental Protection on Thursday, reported The Straits Times.
