The Chinese capital Beijing and the north of the People’s Republic are currently being plagued by an extreme sandstorm. The skyscrapers in central Beijing were shrouded in dust and sand. Road traffic was severely affected. The authorities warned of severely restricted visibility and today classified the air quality as “dangerous”.
According to CNN, it was the strongest sandstorm of the year so far. Warnings have also recently been issued in the provinces of Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Gansu, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Jilin and parts of Xinjiang.
Outdoor activities hazardous to health
Meteorologists advised against leaving the building for non-essential activities, especially outdoor sports are currently extremely harmful to health. The larger particles (PM10) reached 1,667 micrograms, 37 times the value recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Spring is the sandstorm season in northern China. Strong winds carry sand and fine dust from the Gobi desert and Mongolia to the densely populated industrial regions that are already heavily polluted by smog. A lack of precipitation increases the problem.
To mitigate the storms, the Chinese authorities began reforesting the areas surrounding deserts a few decades ago. The trees are intended to act as a “big green wall” to protect against the large-scale distribution of the sand.
