Aerial photo taken on Nov 3, 2014 shows the fresh air of the Yanqi Lake in the Huairou District of Beijing, where the APEC summit was held in October 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

Measures to be taken to improve air quality

1. Transportation in Beijing: Vehicles will be banned from the roads every other day based on their odd and even plates, and 80 percent of vehicles from government and institutes will be taken off the roads. Pure electric vehicles, ambulances, firetrucks and other vehicles for urban services will not be included.

2. Major companies in polluting industries in Beijing: The major companies in some polluting industries－petrochemical, construction materials, industrial painting, printing and furniture making－will suspend production to reduce pollutants.

3. Construction sites in Beijing: The approximately 1,300 construction sites will not be allowed to carry out demolitions or other work that would generate dust.

4. Regional controls for better air quality: Tianjin municipality, as well as Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi and Henan provinces and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, will also restrict vehicles, polluting companies and construction sites.

5. Air pollution supervision in Beijing: The Environmental Protection Bureau will conduct two rounds of mid-and long-term forecasts of air quality before Aug 20 to provide a scientific basis for the measures to control emissions. The environmental supervision teams in Beijing will conduct stronger monitoring of all sources of pollutants－vehicles, polluting companies and construction sites.

6. Flights in Beijing: Beijing Capital International Airport and Nanyuan Airport will shut down from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm on Sept 3, so no arrival or departure flights will be allowed during those three hours.