Spike in air pollution hits Pearl River Delta   

珠三角出现大面积中度污染 暂不会影响港澳

正当在北方雾霾有所缓解之时，广东珠三角地区的空气污染却“骤然”加剧，其中广州、佛山、江门等部分监测站点均出现中度污染。

Guangzhou (CNS) -- Many cities in south China's Pearl River Delta (PRD) region were shrouded in heavy smog Wednesday.

Air quality was rated as "moderately polluted," with PM2.5 the major cause, in cities such as Guangzhou, Foshan and Jiangmen, according to the Guangdong Environmental Information Issuing Platform.

Data from two stations in Jiangmen and Foshan showed that the density of PM2.5 reached 164 micrograms per cubic meter, which is defined as "severely polluted." Only five out of 62 monitoring stations saw "good" air quality.

The local environmental department said the air pollution was produced locally and irrelevant to the smog that recently affected the northern part of the country.

The weather is not favorable for dispersing fog and Hong Kong will not be influenced, the department said, adding that air quality in the PRD has been improving.

The local meteorological center forecast a cold front that would dispel the lingering fog.