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Beijing air is 'hazardous'
10/04/2006 16:14 - (SA)
Beijing - Air pollution in the Chinese capital Beijing hit "hazardous" levels for the second day running on Monday, as the country's meteorological bureau warned of upcoming sandstorms in northern China.
A haze of dust and smog hovered over Beijing for much of the weekend.
The Beijing environmental protection bureau said the city's air pollution was rated at the highest level of five on Sunday and Monday.
Level five is the highest on the bureau's classification system and means the air quality is "hazardous".
When air quality hits level five, city authorities issue warnings to the elderly and children to stay indoors.
The bureau warned that the city's air pollution could worsen, as a Siberian cold front was moving quickly into northern China's Inner Mongolia and Gansu province, generating serious dust storms that could reach the nation's capital.
Conversely, however, there was also a slight chance the incoming storms could provide some relief if the cold front brings rain, said the bureau.
In the past decade of China's economic boom, Chinese cities have ranked among the most polluted in the world.
Beijing's air quality is consistently the worst in the country.
The city's poor air quality this week comes as London Mayor Ken Livingstone and members of his city's 2012 Olympic Games organising committee met with the organisers of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Beijing has vowed to clean up its air before the games, but pollution has worsened in recent months.
The increasing number of cars on the city's roads is one of the main problems.
- AFP
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