To tackle air pollution, China announced to issue ‘red alert’ threshold in capital city Beijing. In December last year, the Chinese capital had its first red alert for air pollution. Smog hovering over the city led to school and business closures that time.

The latest move by the Chinese government has hinted that heavy fines and some other actions didn’t provide the desired results to solve the Beijing's air pollution problem. As per the city’s current air quality index (AQI) rules, a red alert can be issued when the AQI is 200 or more for minimum 72 hours. The AQI rules of Tianjin and Hebei stipulate that red alert should be issued when the AQI exceeds 500 for at least 24 hours.

As per the Chinese officials, a uniform average measurement will be implemented from March this year, under which, in Beijing and its neighboring areas, a red alert will be imposed if the AQI goes beyond the 200 limit for about four days, 300 for minimum two days, or 500 for 24 hours.

The authorities measure score for pollution for each pollutant, including carbon monoxide, in the air. The highest score is the current AQI.

As per the environmental protection bureau, “Raising the threshold around the capital should also affect pollution levels in outlying regions. Response measures to alerts have not been altered, but each city will be able to decide on school closures at its own discretion”.

There was another measure recently announced to tackle the air pollution problem in Beijing. Wind corridors have been planned to be built across the capital. They will be developed in a way that the flow of smog can be redirected away from Beijing. The special ventilation corridors may measure about 80 to 500 meters, as per reports.