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Beijing announced new restrictions for construction sites this
week, disallowing work at times of strong winds in the hope of further
improving local air quality.
Construction projects using materials like sand and soil should
stop work when winds stronger than force four are blowing, according
to the new regulation.
Experts consider the sand and soil used on Beijing's construction
sites to be a major cause of dust in the air during windy weather,
saying more than 40 percent of particles in a Beijing sandstorm
came from local uncovered construction sites.
Following experts' advice, Beijing's municipal government revised
a former regulation so that work will be stopped in winds of force
four instead of force six, as it was before.
The local government also ordered construction projects to ensure
that sand and soil are covered up properly.
Special inspection teams will pay random visits to construction
sites in windy weather, and those that do not abide by the regulation
will be severely punished or even shut down.
Sixty-two vehicles began spraying water along major roads in Beijing
recently in an attempt to keep down the amount of dust in the air.
Beijing is currently drafting more environmentally-friendly regulations,
which are expected to further help improve air quality in the capital
city.
In another development, the China Central Meteorological Observatory
will release trial air quality forecasts for major cities every
day starting in April. In the past, the observatory only provided
information about the air quality of previous days.
Qin Dahe, director of the State-run observatory, said the air quality
forecasts would brief people in 47 major domestic cities about expected
air conditions in the following 24 hours.
"Based on air conditions of the previous day and the movement
of winds and air currents, we can predict air conditions, at least
in general,'' Qin said.
The new air quality forecast system will officially begin operation
on July 5 if the trial forecasts go well.
(China Daily 03/29)
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