Several Chinese cities reel under smog

BEIJING: Smog continued to blanket China's north and central regions for the third day on Saturday, prompting the National Meteorological Centre (NMC) to issue a yellow alert for air pollution.

Beijing, Tianjin and parts of Hebei, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi and Shanxi provinces expect heavy air pollution from this morning to tomorrow morning, according to the NMC forecast.

Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province have been suffering heavy smog since Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Friday, PM 2.5 readings in these regions kept rising and exceeded 200 micrograms per cubic meter, far above the 25 micrograms level considered safe by the World Health Organization.

The NMC on Thursday forecast the smog would last for a week as no cold front is in sight to help disperse.