Cloud of pollution hangs heavy over Olympics Village
The Chinese capital was shrouded in a thick, gray haze of pollution, just 12 days before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games.
By Agencies |
BEIJING: The Chinese capital was shrouded in a thick, gray haze of pollution Sunday, just 12 days before the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games. One expert warned that drastic measures enacted to cut vehicle and factory emissions in the city were no guarantee skies would be clear during competitions.
Pollution was among the worst seen in Beijing in the past month, despite traffic restrictions enacted a week ago that removed half of the city���s vehicles from roadways.
Visibility was a half mile (less than 1 kilometer) in some places. During the opening ceremony of the Athletes��� Village on Sunday, the housing complex was invisible from the nearby main Olympic Green.
"No, it doesn���t really look so good, but as I said, yesterday was better," said Gunilla Lindberg, an International Olympic Committee vice-president from Sweden who is staying in the Athletes��� Village. "The day I arrived, Tuesday, was awful."
"We try to be hopeful. Hopefully we are lucky during the games as we were with Atlanta, Athens and Barcelona," she added.
The city���s notoriously polluted air is one of the biggest question marks hanging over the games, which begin on Aug 8. On Sunday, temperatures of about 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), with 70% humidity and low winds, created a soupy mix of harmful chemicals, particulate matter and water vapour.
The Chinese leadership consider the Beijing Olympics a matter of national prestige, and efforts to clean up the environment were part of its meticulous preparations for an event it hopes will dazzle the world. Choking air pollution and visitors shocked at the environmental conditions would be an embarrassment for a government that wants to show it is a modern nation.
"Hosting a successful Olympics and a Paralympics are now top priority of the country," Chinese President Hu Jintao said Saturday during a meeting with top Communist Party officials, the official News Agency reported.
Athletes have been trickling into Beijing were expected to begin arriving in large numbers this week, though some were headed to South Korea, Japan and other places to avoid Beijing���s air for as long as possible. Some Olympic delegations, including the US Olympic Committee, are making protective masks available to their athletes.
Pollution was among the worst seen in Beijing in the past month, despite traffic restrictions enacted a week ago that removed half of the city���s vehicles from roadways.
Visibility was a half mile (less than 1 kilometer) in some places. During the opening ceremony of the Athletes��� Village on Sunday, the housing complex was invisible from the nearby main Olympic Green.
"No, it doesn���t really look so good, but as I said, yesterday was better," said Gunilla Lindberg, an International Olympic Committee vice-president from Sweden who is staying in the Athletes��� Village. "The day I arrived, Tuesday, was awful."
"We try to be hopeful. Hopefully we are lucky during the games as we were with Atlanta, Athens and Barcelona," she added.
The city���s notoriously polluted air is one of the biggest question marks hanging over the games, which begin on Aug 8. On Sunday, temperatures of about 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), with 70% humidity and low winds, created a soupy mix of harmful chemicals, particulate matter and water vapour.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau said the air was "unhealthy for sensitive groups."The Chinese leadership consider the Beijing Olympics a matter of national prestige, and efforts to clean up the environment were part of its meticulous preparations for an event it hopes will dazzle the world. Choking air pollution and visitors shocked at the environmental conditions would be an embarrassment for a government that wants to show it is a modern nation.
"Hosting a successful Olympics and a Paralympics are now top priority of the country," Chinese President Hu Jintao said Saturday during a meeting with top Communist Party officials, the official News Agency reported.
Athletes have been trickling into Beijing were expected to begin arriving in large numbers this week, though some were headed to South Korea, Japan and other places to avoid Beijing���s air for as long as possible. Some Olympic delegations, including the US Olympic Committee, are making protective masks available to their athletes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Du Shaozhong, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau, blamed the thick haze on a combination of fog and light winds that were unable to blow away the pollution. Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
