China maintains orange alert for smog

BEIJING-- Most areas in northern China saw another day of choking smog and poor visibility on Saturday as the country renewed the orange alert for air pollution that has lasted for days.

Moderate to heavy smog will stay in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, as well as some areas in Henan, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Liaoning provinces during Saturday morning, with visibility of less than 200 meters, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

The poor visibility has caused widespread flight delays and cancellations at Beijing Capital International Airport.

The NMC forecast a cold front will help disperse the smog latter in the day.

China has a four-tier color-coded system for severe weather, with red being the most serious, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

After experiencing frequent bouts of smog, the Chinese public has become increasingly sensitive to the health hazard. To address public concerns, the government aims to cut the density of inhalable particulate matter by at least 10 percent in major cities by 2017.