哈爾濱出現重度霧霾 學校停課機場關閉
Choking clouds of pollution have virtually shut down the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin, forcing schools to suspend classes, snarling traffic and closing the airport.
Weather officials said Monday that concentrations of tiny airborne particles considered the most harmful to health were about 40 times higher than safe levels set by the World Health Organization.
The official Xinhua news agency blamed the emergency on the first day of the heating being turned on in the city for winter.
Pollution from rapid development and heavy coal use plagues wide areas of China, prompting pledges from the country's leadership to make improvement. The government has promised for years to tackle the pollution problem, but has made little progress.
Officials said Monday the heavy smog is expected to continue for 24 hours.中國東北城市哈爾濱空氣污染極其嚴重，學校被迫停課，機場關閉，並造成交通堵塞。
氣象預報部門官員星期一說，空氣中對人體危害最大的微粒含量超過世界衛生組織設定的安全標準大約40倍。
中國官方的新華社說，星期一是哈爾濱啓動冬季取暖的第一天，因此出現這一緊急狀況。
經濟高速發展以及大量使用煤在中國廣大地區造成嚴重污染，迫使中國領導層不得不承諾加以改進。多年來，中國政府一直保證要努力解決污染問題，但成效甚微。
中國官員星期一說，預計重度霧霾將持續24小時。
