Beijing creates environmental police to battle pollution
Source: The Times of India, Date: , 2017
The Times of India, Beijing, Jan 2017: Chinese authorities have announced a new environmental police squad
to combat pollution in Beijing that will crackdown on activities like open-air
barbecues, garbage incineration and biomass burning, even as the capital
breathed easy today after reeling under week-long heavy smog. Clear sky greeted
the over 21-million people of the city over the weekend, prompting many to rush
outdoors to enjoy the blue and sunny conditions. People with children, who had
been cloistered indoors for the week, took to parks and streets for the first
time since the beginning of this year.Beijing lifted its orange alert for air
pollution last night and emergency measures such as vehicle restrictions and
the suspension of factory production ended while construction work recommenced.
Beijing has a four-tier alert system for pollution, with red the highest,
followed by orange, yellow and blue. The orange alert means the air quality
index is forecast to exceed 200 for three consecutive days.