Polluted air was reported in 146 cities among 338 Chinese cities observed on Wednesday, with 13 cities including Beijing and Tianjin categorized as "heavily polluted," the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) announced on Thursday.
The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region was the hardest hit, with the average density of PM 2.5 and PM 10 in the region hitting 115 and 176 micrograms per cubic meter. The two readings surged by 33.7 percent and 32.3 percent from the previous day respectively.
The MEP forecast the latest round of air pollution in the region will lift beginning from Saturday after the arrival of favorable weather conditions.
