--- SEARCH ---
WEATHER
CHINA
INTERNATIONAL
BUSINESS
GOVERNMENT
EDUCATION
ENVIRONMENT
CULTURE
WOMEN
BOOKS
SPORTS
HEALTH
ENTERTAINMENT
Living in China
Archaeology
Film
Learning Chinese
China Town
Chinese Suppliers
Exchange Rates
Hotel Service
China Calendar
Telephone and
Postal Codes


Hot Links
China Development Gateway
Chinese Embassies
Info
FedEx
China Post
China Air Express
Hospitals in China
Chinese Embassies
Foreign Embassies
China
Construction Bank
People's
Bank of China
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China
Travel Agencies
China Travel Service
China International Travel Service
Beijing Youth Travel Service
Beijing Xinhua Tours
Links
China Tibet Tour
China Tours
Ctrip
China National Tourism Administration

Manufacturers, Exporters, Wholesalers - Global trade starts here.
Severe Sandstorms Hit Northern China

Drifting and floating dust that has enveloped northern China for two days will continue to linger around the arid region today, the Central Meteorological Observatory forecasted yesterday evening.

 

The mercury is expected to climb to new highs following the windy days, but a new round of sandstorms is likely to hit northern regions again next Monday, according to the observatory.

 

The ongoing sand and dust storm, generating from the eastern parts of Mongolia, has been affecting a vast area of 280,000 square kilometers, nearly 80 percent of which are located in China.

 

It is the fourth round of sandstorms to hit China this spring, dimming the sky into a saffron yellow and cutting visibility considerably.

 

Environmental experts warned that sandstorms bring not only sand and dust but also saline-alkali chemicals that seriously pollute water, soil and plants.

 

Song Huailong, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the saline-alkali particulates mainly came from hundreds of dried-up lakes in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Hebei Province.

 

Large amounts of these harmful chemicals travel along northern China every spring, and impose great threats to the environment and people's health, Song said, adding that the source of saline-alkali dust was expanding and moving towards the Chinese capital.

 

The sandstorm that choked Beijing yesterday caused the city's air quality to deteriorate to the extent that the municipal environmental protection bureau was forced to take emergency measures such as suspending construction work and adding water sprinklers to the street.

 

Wang Xiaoming, an official with the bureau, said the density of the particles was 346 micrograms per cubic meter yesterday in Beijing, three times higher than the national standard of good air quality.

 

Tian Yue'e, a doctor with the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said dusty weather seriously harms people's eye, skin and respiratory system.

 

She said every spring when sandstorms prevail, the number of patients suffering from diseases of the eye, skin and respiratory system always increase by big margins.

 

She recommended people, especially the young and elderly, not go out on dusty days and to drink more water.

 

(China Daily March 28, 2006)

 

Weekly Weather Forecast (March 27 to April 2)
Bad Weather Aggravates Beijing's Pollution
Sandstorm Sweeps over Xinjiang
Cold Snap to Continue for 3 More Days
Print This Page
|
Email This Page
About Us SiteMap Feedback
Copyright © China Internet Information Center. All Rights Reserved
E-mail: webmaster@china.org.cn Tel: 86-10-88828000