Reuters is reporting that some cement companies have temporarily halted production in China's northern city of Shijiazhuang as part of a Chinese government anti-pollution drive.
Shijiazhuang has suspended factory production in seven industries until the end of this year, affecting plants in the pharmaceutical, cement, foundry, iron and steel, coal-electricity, coking and boiler sectors.
China has been trying to tackle pollution over the past few years by implementing various measures to reduce the blankets of smog which shroud many of the country's northern cities in the winter and have been hazardous to health and traffic.