BEIJING (Reuters) – The Chinese capital, Beijing, woke up Sunday morning surrounded by thick dust carrying extremely high levels of dangerous particles as a second sandstorm in two weeks hit the city due to Mongolian winds and northwestern China that were hit by the drought.
Visibility in the city was reduced, with the tops of some skyscrapers darkened by the sandstorm, and pedestrians were forced to cover their eyes as gusts of dust swept the streets.
“It simply came to our notice then. There are always one or two days like this (of pollution or dust) every month, ”said Mr Fan, 39, who did not want to reveal his full name.
Beijing’s official air quality index peaked at 500 on Sunday morning, with floating particles known as PM10 exceeding 2,000 micrograms per cubic meter in some districts.
Smaller PM2.5 particle readings exceeded 300 micrograms per cubic meter, much higher than the Chinese standard of 35 micrograms.
PM2.5 particles are especially harmful because they are very small and can enter the bloodstream, while PM10 is a larger particle that can enter the lungs.
The China Meteorological Administration issued a yellow alert on Friday and warned that a sandstorm was spreading from Mongolia to the northern provinces of China, including Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Liaoning and Hebei, which surrounds Beijing.
The meteorological office said recent sandstorms affecting Beijing originated in Mongolia, where relatively warmer temperatures this spring and reduced rainfall caused larger areas of bare ground, creating favorable conditions for sandstorms.
Beijing could face more sandstorms in April due to this year’s unfavorable weather, the weather office said.
Report by Sophie Yu, Judy Hua and Martin Pollard; Edited by Michael Perry