Spring sandstorms which have enveloped northern China for two days will continue to linger around the arid region today, the Central Meteorological Observatory forecast yesterday evening.

The "mercury" is expected to climb to new levels following the windy period but a new round of sandstorms is likely to hit northern regions again next Monday, according to the Observatory.

The ongoing sand and dust storms, generated from eastern parts of Mongolia, have been affecting a vast area of 280,000 square kilometers -- nearly 80 percent of which is located in China.

It is the fourth round of sandstorms to hit China this spring dimming the sky and cutting visibility considerably.

Environmental experts warned that sandstorms bring not only dust but also saline-alkali chemicals which can seriously pollute water, soil and plants.

Song Huailong, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the saline-alkali particulates forming the sandstorms came mainly from hundreds of dried-up lakes in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Hebei Province.

Large amounts of these harmful particulates travel along northern China every spring and present significant threats to the environment and the health of people coming into contact with the sandstorms, Song said. He added that the level of saline-alkali dust was increasing and moving towards the Chinese capital.

The sandstorm which choked parts of Beijing yesterday caused the city's air quality to deteriorate to the extent that the municipal environmental protection bureau was forced to take emergency measures including suspending construction work and sprinkling water in the streets. 

Wang Xiaoming, an official with the bureau, said the density of the particles was 346 micrograms per cubic meter yesterday in Beijing--three times higher than the national standard of good air quality.

Tian Yue'e, a doctor with the Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, said dusty weather can seriously harm the eyes, skin and affect the respiratory system.

She said every spring when the sandstorms arrive, the number of patients suffering from these conditions always increased. 

The doctor recommended that people, especially the young and elderly, don't venture out on dusty days and advised that more water should be drunk.

Sandstorms Hit Shenyang, Liaoning Province on March 27.

Sandstorms Hit Shenyang, Liaoning Province on March 27.

Sandstorms hit Kaifeng, Henan Province on March 27.

Sandstorms hit Zhengzhou, Henan Province on March 27.

(China Daily March 28, 2006)