Fourteen inspection teams have been sent to different parts of the country ahead of severe air pollution to hit China, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said Friday.

The 14 groups have been dispatched to check the "implementation of heavy air pollution emergency response measures" taken by local governments, the ministry said.

A wave of smog is due to settle over parts of north China, including the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Shandong and Henan provinces from Saturday to Tuesday, with the major pollutant being PM2.5 -- harmful microscopic particles that can penetrate deep into lungs, the ministry warned.

Beijing has issued its second red alert for air pollution this month. The red alert, the most serious level, will last from 7 a.m. Saturday to the end of Tuesday, limiting vehicles on roads according to their odd-even license plate numbers and banning fireworks and outdoor barbecue.

Other cities in Hebei and Shandong will also raise their alert levels.