BEIJING (AFP) — China unveiled a string of potential last-ditch measures to battle the city's defiant smog ahead of the Olympics, as Beijing was again shrouded Thursday in a cloak of haze.
Chinese authorities will close more factories, further reduce the number of cars on the road in the city and neighbouring areas, and stop all construction, the ministry of environmental protection said on its website.
"When there are extremely unfavourable weather conditions, there will be some emergency measures," the statement said, fleshing out the details from an announcement earlier in the week.
After two days of marked improvement in the air, the Chinese capital was once again blighted by a thick haze with little more than a week to go before the opening ceremony of the Games.
The ministry said it would close a further 222 factories in Beijing, Hebei province and the northern city of Tianjin if conditions were poor.
Cars in the capital would not be allowed on the roads if the vehicle's last digit on the licence plate was the same as the last digit for the date, the statement said.
Measures restricting traffic would also be extended to Tianjin and major cities in Hebei, the ministry said.
There will also be a ban on construction activity, according to the statement.
Beijing has already taken drastic steps to reduce pollution, amid heavy criticism from athletes and environmental groups.
In the most dramatic of the recent anti-pollution steps, one million of the city's 3.3 million cars were taken off the roads on July 20, and more than 100 heavily polluting factories and building sites were closed down.
Olympic organisers have warned that endurance events such as the marathon could be postponed or cancelled if pollution levels are too high.
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