Shanghai is working on establishing a five-day smog forecasting system to give citizens earlier warnings of air pollution, the environment authority said yesterday.
Residents are currently told of the expected air quality index and threats from major pollutants 48 hours in advance, while the meteorological bureau provides 7-day weather forecasts.
“We are working on a five-day, even a seven-day, smog forecast system, which will be introduced when the accuracy of the forecast is improved,” said Zhang Quan, director of the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau.
“Shanghai’s 48-hour smog forecast has been generally accurate, but longer forecasts need more technical research and experimentation. Hopefully a five-day forecast can be put into use within this year, especially when Shanghai encounters continuous air pollution,” Zhang told fellow lawmakers.
The air quality has been good since the weekend and the Shanghai Environmental Monitoring Center said the AQI would climb to about 80 today.
The northern Yangtze Delta will encounter a round of light-to-moderate pollution as a cold front comes in.