Yellow alert issued for air pollution in Beijing

Beijing on Monday was still choked with a moderately polluted atmospheric environment due to a round of smog that hit the city from Sunday and is forecast to linger till Tuesday, according to local authorities.

Beijing issued a yellow alert for heavy air pollution beginning Sunday, under which a series of measures should be taken, including the suspension of a number of outdoor construction operations, and the halt or restriction of production for some manufacturing companies.

Under Beijing's current three-tier color warning system, the yellow alert is the least severe, followed by orange and red. The yellow alert is issued when the air-quality index surpasses 200 for two consecutive days.

The capital's air quality is expected to gradually improve on Tuesday evening when light rain starts to fall.