Sandstorms whipped across China today, turning skies a surreal yellow and forcing residents to don masks and scarves to protect themselves from the unhealthy grit. It was the latest sign of the effects of desertification - overgrazing, deforestation, urban sprawl and drought have expanded deserts in the country's north and west. The shifting sands have gradually encroached onto populated areas and worsened the sand storms that strike cities, particularly in the spring.Winds blowing from the north-west were sweeping sand from the Xinjiang and Ningxia regions, as well as Gansu and Inner Mongolia provinces across China's arid north. The sand and dust were even carried to parts of southern China. The noon newscast on state television showed the tourist city of Hangzhou on the eastern coast, where graceful bridges and waterside pagodas were hidden in a mix of sand and other pollution. In Taiwan, an island 100 miles (160 kilometres) away from the Chinese mainland, drivers complained their cars were covered in a layer of black soot in just 10 minutes. The Central Meteorological Station urged people to close doors and windows, and cover their faces with masks or scarves when going outside. Sensitive electronic and mechanical equipment should be sealed off, the station said in a warning posted today on its Web site. (Daily Mail) Tuesday, 23 March 2010
The day the sky turned yellow: Sandstorms sweep across China
Sandstorms whipped across China today, turning skies a surreal yellow and forcing residents to don masks and scarves to protect themselves from the unhealthy grit. It was the latest sign of the effects of desertification - overgrazing, deforestation, urban sprawl and drought have expanded deserts in the country's north and west. The shifting sands have gradually encroached onto populated areas and worsened the sand storms that strike cities, particularly in the spring.Winds blowing from the north-west were sweeping sand from the Xinjiang and Ningxia regions, as well as Gansu and Inner Mongolia provinces across China's arid north. The sand and dust were even carried to parts of southern China. The noon newscast on state television showed the tourist city of Hangzhou on the eastern coast, where graceful bridges and waterside pagodas were hidden in a mix of sand and other pollution. In Taiwan, an island 100 miles (160 kilometres) away from the Chinese mainland, drivers complained their cars were covered in a layer of black soot in just 10 minutes. The Central Meteorological Station urged people to close doors and windows, and cover their faces with masks or scarves when going outside. Sensitive electronic and mechanical equipment should be sealed off, the station said in a warning posted today on its Web site. (Daily Mail) 