Beijingers Share Their Air Pollution Red Alert Survival Tales
Like an apocalyptic disaster flick, the plot of 2016's red alert thickened as quickly as the smog it was designed to warn against.
Among those most shocked by effects of the alert were the drivers of numerous vehicles that were inspected for irregularities and to ensure if they met fuel emission standards (according to a state media news report). About 31,000 of those cars were found to be in violation of those standards.
And they weren't the only drivers irked by the red alert restrictions. Sean Koopmans, for instance, can't drive his 2001 Buick Regal during this high smoggy period as part of municipal vehicle stipulations. He said he feels "cheated that they are phasing out old cars" because the car's engine was named one of the world's best and still meets standards from the year 2001. The ESL teacher and Air Fresh Air Machine designer also questions whether infrequent drivers like himself, who only add about 12,000km per year to their odometers, should have to buy new vehicles. "Is it not more environmentally friendly to keep this old Buick in good condition but pollute a little more in daily driving, than to buy a newly produced car which makes a lot of pollution in its manufacturing stage but pollutes a little less while driving?"
Koopmans' 2001 Buick, which is barred from the road during Red Alerts
Such inconveniences may have seemed quite trivial to passengers hoping to land at Beijing Capital Airport on December 20. From midnight to 3am only a two flights (according to state media reports) out of an expected 60 were able to land, among them a Russian airline craft that failed on its first try but succeeded the second time. The other 58 flights were delayed or rescheduled.
Among the most beleaguered aircrafts during this red alert period was a Philippine Airlines flight from Manila that, before it could make its 1am landing time on Dec. 21, was diverted to Taiyuan airport in Shanxi (according to social media posts by the airline's employees that were onboard). The plane was stuck there throughout the night until 5am, with no one permitted to leave because the airline didn't have the authority to offload passengers. Eventually the aircraft was able to take off-- back to Manila, because the Beijing Capital Airport could no longer accommodate them due to traffic. Those passengers were then asked to take a new flight the following night, leading many to complain that the situation was nothing short of chaos.
Such events have made this red alert seem to linger on forever. However, the first day of the heavy pollution period started off promising enough, with the AQI sitting under 200 so that many of us were fooled into thinking that the government initiatives would clear the air (those pollution levels stayed hazardous until Thursday, giving the capital a brief end of week reprieve before skyrocketing again over the weekend, according to the latest forecast).
Unfortunately, such optimism proved premature, as the pollution levels eventually caught up to predictions, peaking at over 300 by 2pm on Friday and staying that way. There's little wonder why pollution levels have reached such heights as of late, considering China's uptick in coal usage.
The grim AQI forecast prompted swaths of local schools to close from Monday to Wednesday, according to a December 16 beijingkids article. Those closed campuses included Fangcaodi School and schools throughout the Chaoyang, Dongcheng, and Haidian Districts.
Aside from the education community, members of other circles were also enshrouded in the haze and its side effects. One company to benefit from the smog was Sherpa's Food Delivery, whose Marketing Manager Jasmine Lam said that business spiked on Friday when the red alert began (though she added with a laugh that things slowed down after many "laowai went home for Christmas" later on in the weekend).
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Photos: Reuters, Climate Central, OFO, Koopmans