Smog in NE China to linger until weekend
Print Edition
THE heavy air pollution in northeast China is set to remain until Saturday, partially fueled by burning coal for public heating, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said yesterday.
“Most areas” in Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces will see medium to heavy air pollution from today through Saturday, with PM2.5 being the main pollutant, it said in a statement.
The arrival of the smog at the beginning of the month coincided with the start of the annual coal heating season in north China.
The ministry urged governments across the region to take measures to relieve the situation in their areas as best they can.
Several local authorities have already introduced emergency measures.
In Liaoning Province, flights were grounded and roads were closed, as the density of PM2.5 — airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter — went off the charts and visibility was slashed.
Thousands of people with respiratory ailments jammed hospitals, while face mask vendors sold out fast.
In six cities, including the capital Shenyang, the air quality index on Sunday went beyond 500 — the gauge’s maximum — while eight of 14 cities in the province were labeled as “seriously polluted” yesterday.
In Changchun, capital of Jilin Province, visibility in downtown areas fell to less than 100 meters, as the air quality also soared beyond the 500 mark.
As of 8am yesterday, 87 flights had been delayed or canceled, the provincial transport department said, adding that most intercity highways had been completely or partially closed.
The provincial government issued an emergency action plan advising people to stay indoors, and calling on schools and kindergartens to cancel all outdoor activities.
It also ordered factories across the province to limit or halt their production, suspended work at construction sites and on road projects, and banned the burning of crop residue and the lighting of fireworks.
Zhang Bin, an environmental in Changchun, blamed the foul air on coal burning for winter heating.
“Many cities in China, including those in the northeastern provinces, use coal as the major heat generator, which pushes up air pollution levels,” he said.
In China’s northernmost province of Heilongjiang, winter heating has become the biggest cause of smog, with coal contributing about 40 percent of air pollution, according to the provincial environmental department.
Burning straw has also damaged air quality in the northeast, a region known as “China’s granary” for its highly fertile soil.
Farmers dispose of excess straw by burning it after the harvest, which is easy and benefits the soil, but it also pollutes.
Zhang said the best way to battle air pollution is to change the energy structure in China.
“There will be much less smog if China cuts its reliance on coal,” he said.
Jiang Zhiying, Changchun’s mayor, said while a change in energy structure is necessary, China must also tighten its grip on the registration of new cars, gradually eliminate vehicles with high emissions and enforce strict bans on straw-burning.
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