Smog envelops huge swathes of China
2013-01-29 22:59
Beijing - Residents across huge swathes of northern China
battled through choking pollution at extreme levels on Tuesday, as Beijing was
plunged into toxic twilight for the fourth time this winter.
Visibility was reduced to around 200m in parts of the
capital, where mask-wearing pedestrians groped through a murky haze, despite
warnings from authorities to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary.
In a Beijing city office visited by AFP, up to 20 workers
worried that the pollutants could penetrate indoors took extra precautions,
wearing gas-mask style protective headgear at their desks.
State broadcaster China Central Television gave the
smog's second day huge airplay, showing vehicles using full headlights in
mid-morning to light their way through the noxious cloud.
More than 100 flights were delayed or cancelled at
Zhengzhou Airport in Henan, the television said, adding that the haze would
last until Thursday.
At Beijing airport, 61 departing flights were delayed in
the morning.
In the eastern province of Shandong, almost 2 000
passengers were stranded at Qingdao's main airport after it shut with 20
flights cancelled as visibility dropped to 100m, according to the official
Xinhua news agency.
The smog of recent days has hit a total area of 1.3
million square kilometres, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said -
about twice the size of France.
It described the cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang
and Jinan as "gravely polluted".
Beijing's winter of smog has sparked an internet outcry
and anger from state media.
The China Daily reiterated its calls for firm action on
Tuesday, directing them at the capital's newly-installed mayor Wang Anshun, who
formally took over on Monday.
"What do Beijing residents expect of their new
mayor?" asked the newspaper in an editorial.
"Of all the things that need improving, cleaner air
will be at the top of many people's wish list."
Wang was quoted by Xinhua as saying: "The current
environmental problems are worrisome."
The Beijing News went as far as to suggest banning or
regulating next month's traditional and hugely popular New Year fireworks in
the capital.
Pollution readings spiked last year after the city's
skyline lit up with explosions.
Blogging
Celebrity bloggers - including real estate tycoon Pan
Shiyi and reform-minded investor Xue Manzi, who have a combined 24 million
followers on China's micro-blogging sites - called for legislation against
pollution.
The US embassy's air quality index (AQI) reading for
Beijing stood at 457 and "hazardous" at 17:00 on Tuesday, after
having reached 517, or "beyond index", at 06:00.
The index rates a reading over 150 as
"unhealthy", above 300 as "hazardous", while anything over
the upper limit of 500 is regarded as "beyond index".
Meanwhile, the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring
Centre gave the figure as 406, indicating the capital's air was "severely
polluted".
The toxic air follows an extreme bout of pollution
earlier this month, when state media said readings for PM 2.5, particles small
enough deeply to penetrate the lungs, peaked at 993 micrograms per cubic metre,
almost 40 times the World Health Organisation's recommended safe limit.
At the height of the smog, many residents rushed to buy
face masks and air purifiers.
Doctors at two of Beijing's major hospitals said the
number of patients with respiratory problems had increased sharply during the
period.
China's pollution problems are blamed on the country's
rapid urbanisation and dramatic economic development.
But experts have raised questions over its will and
ability to tackle car and coal use, which are seen as key causes of the
phenomenon.
