Some activities have been stopped in the capital, Beijing after government issued pollution “red alert” on Monday.

Inhabitants of the Chinese capital, Beijing are living under severe conditions following the first ever pollution “red alert” government issued on Monday, December 6, 2015. Schools are closed and outdoor construction halted. Limits have been placed on car use and some factories have been ordered to stop operations. The alert, the highest possible warning level, issued late Monday, will last until midday on Thursday, December 10, 2015, BBC reported.  

Reports say it is the first time China has declared a red alert under the four-tier alert system, which was adopted a little over two years ago, although pollution levels were far from the city's worst. BBC reported that when the alert came into effect, the US Embassy's air pollution monitor in Beijing reported that the intensity of the tiny particles known as PM 2.5 was at 291 micrograms per cubic metre.  

By 11:00 it had dropped very slightly to 250 - still a level it described as "very unhealthy", BBC said. Levels of the poisonous particles in the suburbs were reported at several times that number with the air is indeed unpleasant and filthy grey.  The World Health Organization recommends 25 micrograms per cubic metre as the maximum safe level.

Reports say that coal-powered industries and heating systems, as well as vehicle emissions and dust from construction sites, all contribute to the smog which has been exacerbated by humidity and a lack of wind. BBC reported that the order will last until 12:00 on Thursday, when a cold front is expected to arrive and clear the smog. The population as living in precarious conditions as a Beijing resident Li Huiwen told news agencies that, "You have to do whatever you can to protect yourself. Even when wearing the mask, I feel uncomfortable and don't have any energy.'' A Beijing worker Fan Jinglong said, "It is a sharp warning to us that we may have too much development at the price of environment and it is time for us to seriously deal with air pollution.”