Hangzhou baffled by mysterious 'coal rain'
By Xu Chi |
March 13, 2013, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
ENVIRONMENT authorities in Hangzhou City are investigating a "mysterious rain of coal" after local residents reported that roads and trees near a forest park were covered by tiny pieces of black substance on Monday after a rainy spell.
"Sandstorms and PM2.5 may mean nothing if you are in Hangzhou to witness a coal rain," a Hangzhou resident wrote on Weibo.com and posted pictures of coal-like substances sticking on tree leaves.
Residents told the local environment protection bureau that they found the black substance on roads, tree leaves and even their balconies after a brief rain on Monday morning.
Some said the substance was oily and would not easily wash off their hands. Others said the stains remained on their balconies and floors.
A security guard at the Banshan National Forest Park told Hangzhou Daily that he had never seen anything like it in the five years that he worked in the park.
Many speculated that it was coal ash emitted by a local steel company, while others argued it was ash caused by a forest fire in Fuyang City on Saturday.
But the environment authorities refuted both the claims.
They said they had investigated local factories and did not find any of them polluting the environment, the newspaper said.
Li Junlei, an official with the local environment supervision team, said the mysterious substance was possibly plant ashes blown into the city from outside.
An expert with the local weather bureau also ruled out the possibility of a forest fire as the cause of the mysterious occurrence. He believed that they were pollutants from nearby plants.
Authorities were still investigating the incident.
"Sandstorms and PM2.5 may mean nothing if you are in Hangzhou to witness a coal rain," a Hangzhou resident wrote on Weibo.com and posted pictures of coal-like substances sticking on tree leaves.
Residents told the local environment protection bureau that they found the black substance on roads, tree leaves and even their balconies after a brief rain on Monday morning.
Some said the substance was oily and would not easily wash off their hands. Others said the stains remained on their balconies and floors.
A security guard at the Banshan National Forest Park told Hangzhou Daily that he had never seen anything like it in the five years that he worked in the park.
Many speculated that it was coal ash emitted by a local steel company, while others argued it was ash caused by a forest fire in Fuyang City on Saturday.
But the environment authorities refuted both the claims.
They said they had investigated local factories and did not find any of them polluting the environment, the newspaper said.
Li Junlei, an official with the local environment supervision team, said the mysterious substance was possibly plant ashes blown into the city from outside.
An expert with the local weather bureau also ruled out the possibility of a forest fire as the cause of the mysterious occurrence. He believed that they were pollutants from nearby plants.
Authorities were still investigating the incident.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
