26/04/2020
SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s smog-prone northern province of Hebei met its air quality targets by a big margin over the winter after concerted efforts to tackle emissions, a local official said on Sunday, without mentioning coronavirus-related factory shutdowns.
Average PM2.5 concentrations over the October-March period dropped 15% from a year earlier to 61 micrograms per cubic metre, while sulphur dioxide also fell by a third, said He Litao, vice-head of the provincial environmental bureau.
Most experts have attributed the significant decline in air pollution throughout China in the first quarter to the coronavirus outbreak and tough containment measures, which saw cities and entire provinces locked down and sharply reduced traffic and industrial activity throughout the country.
With millions staying at home, concentrations of lung-damaging PM2.5 particles fell by nearly 15% in more than 300 Chinese cities in the first three months of 2020.
Shanghai saw emissions fall by nearly 20% in the first quarter, while in Wuhan, where the pandemic originated, monthly averages dropped more than a third compared to last year.
However, He of the Hebei environmental bureau attributed the local decline in pollution to the “conscientious implementation” of government decisions even in the face of unfavourable weather conditions.
According to a winter action plan published last year, 10 cities in Hebei were expected to cut lung-damaging small particles known as PM2.5 by 1%-6% compared to the previous year.
Despite the decline, average PM2.5 was still much higher than China’s official standard of 35 micrograms, and the recommended World Health Organization level of 10 micrograms.
Source: Reuters
Posted in 10, 15, 15%, 20%, 2020, 300, 35, according, action plan, air pollution, air quality, also, at home, attributed, Average, averages, “conscientious implementation”, big, China, China's, China’s, cities, compared, concentrations, concerted, conditions, containment, coronavirus outbreak, coronavirus-related, Country, cubic metre, cut, decisions, decline, dropped, earlier, efforts, emissions, entire, environmental bureau, even, expected, experts, face-of, Factory, fall, Fell, first, first quarter, from, Government, Hebei, industrial activity, known as, last year, level, local, local official, locked down, lung-damaging, March, margin, measures, mentioning, micrograms, millions, monthly, months, more than, most, nearly, northern province, October, Official, originated, over, pandemic, particles, Period, PM2.5, Pollution, previous, provinces, provincial environmental bureau, published, recommended, reduced, said, saw, Shanghai, sharply, shutdowns, significant, small, standard, staying, sulphur dioxide, Sunday, tackle, targets, third, Three, throughout, tough, traffic, Uncategorized, unfavourable, weather, which, while, winter, without, World Health Organization, Wuhan, year |
Leave a Comment »
25/01/2020
- Evacuation plan outlined in email as diplomats look for ways to protect foreign nationals
- Paris earlier reports three cases on its soil – the first to be identified in Europe
The French consulate in Wuhan is planning to evacuate French nationals from the city to escape the deadly coronavirus. Photo: AFP
Foreign diplomats in Wuhan are scrambling to assess the situation in the
coronavirus
-plagued city, with French officials planning to evacuate French nationals trapped by the Chinese government’s lockdown.
The plan would allow French people who want to leave Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province, to travel by bus to Changsha in neighbouring Hunan province, according to an email seen by the South China Morning Post.
“The consulate general, in collaboration with local authorities, plans to set up a bus service to allow French nationals … and their Chinese and foreign spouses and children to travel from Wuhan to Changsha,” it said.
The email, sent by the French consulate, also asked anyone who received it to pass the notice on to other French nationals. It was not clear which bodies received the email and the date of the planned evacuation was not specified.
The consulate could not be reached for comment on Saturday.
France, the United States, Britain and South Korea all have consulates in Wuhan, according to China’s foreign ministry.
The South Korean consulate said in a post on its website that it would suspend all visa applications “indefinitely until further notice”.
A diplomatic source said several foreign embassies in China were considering plans to evacuate their nationals from Wuhan.
First coronavirus case ‘had no links to seafood market’
It is not known how many foreigners remain in the city, which has a population of about 11 million and has been under a government-imposed lockdown since Thursday morning.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement on Friday that Paris was monitoring the crisis and “can increase the power [to respond] if necessary”.
There have so far been three confirmed cases of the new coronavirus in France, in Paris and Bordeaux.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Friday that Paris was monitoring the crisis in China. Photo: AFP
The US said earlier that most of its consulate staff and their families had been pulled out of Wuhan.
An emailed inquiry to the British consulate in the city received only an automated reply, saying: “Wuhan is now in crisis mode. We may not be able to answer your emails for some time.”
The consulate would be closed for the Lunar New Year holiday until January 31, it said.
Meanwhile, British citizen Kharn Lambert told the BBC on Thursday how he had been “trapped” in Wuhan.
The PE teacher said he was afraid to leave his house for fear of catching the deadly virus.
“If you saw the street behind me at night time where I normally live … if I show you out there now, it’s dead,” he said.
More than 1,280 confirmed cases have been reported across China, of which more than 700 were in Hubei, according to local government figures released on Saturday.
The death toll in Hubei stands at 39, with two other fatalities reported in the provinces of Hebei and Heilongjiang.
Tens of millions of people in Hubei are effectively on lockdown since a travel ban was imposed on most of the province.
Flights, trains, buses and ferries connecting Wuhan to other cities in Hubei have been suspended. Rail authorities in Wuhan, which is a hub for several major high-speed lines, said operations at 61 stations and more than 400 train services had been suspended until further notice.
Source: SCMP
Posted in Bordeaux, Britain, British citizen, bused out, buses, Changsha, China’s Foreign Ministry, consulate, coronavirus, diplomats, escape, Europe, Evacuation plan, ferries, flights, foreign nationals, Foreigners, French citizens, French Foreign Minister, Hebei, Hebei province, Heilongjiang province, high-speed lines, hub, Hubei, hubei province, Hunan Province, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Lunar New Year holiday, Paris, Population, Rail authorities, south china morning post, South Korea, The BBC, trains, Uncategorized, United States, Wuhan |
Leave a Comment »
26/08/2019
BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — The water quality of China’s major rivers, lakes and coastal waters is improving, while in general, the water ecology is not optimistic, an official report showed.
The report was made by an inspection team tasked with examining the enforcement of the water pollution prevention and control law, under the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature.
From April to June, the law enforcement inspection team was divided into four groups and went to eight provinces, including Sichuan, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hebei, Guangdong, Anhui, Yunnan and Guizhou, to carry out law enforcement inspections.
The inspection groups visited 31 cities and carried out on-site inspections of 201 organizations, villages and projects.
At the same time, 23 other provincial-level regions were entrusted to carry out similar investigations to achieve full coverage of law enforcement inspections.
According to the report, in 2018, 71 percent of the national surface water sections were of good quality and the water quality of major rivers, lakes and coastal waters was stable and good.
However, the report also points out that inadequate law implementation is still prominent, and the overall situation of China’s water environment is not optimistic.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in Anhui province, China's water environment, coastal waters, Guangdong, Guizhou Province, Hebei, Hunan Province, improving, jiangsu province, lakes, prevention and control law, rivers, sichuan province, Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Uncategorized, water pollution, Water quality, Yunnan Province |
Leave a Comment »
23/06/2019
BEIJING, June 23 (Xinhua) — Air quality improved in Chinese cities in the first five months of 2019, according to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE).
Some 337 Chinese cities enjoyed good air quality on 80.3 percent of days from January to May this year, up 0.6 percentage points from the same period last year. Nearly 120 cities met the air quality standards, including 20 cities joining this year, data of MEE showed.
The average PM2.5 density, a key indicator of air pollution remained unchanged at 44 micrograms per cubic meter over the period and the average density of PM10 and sulfur dioxide fell 2.6 percent and 13.3 percent respectively year on year.
Haikou, Lhasa and Shenzhen ranked top three on the list of 168 cities’ air quality in the first five months while cities in the provinces of Hebei, Henan and Shanxi lagged behind.
Several regions saw a decrease in PM2.5 in May 2019, with that in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and Yangtze River Delta down 16.7 percent and 8.6 percent year on year respectively.
China pledged to coordinate its efforts on environmental protection and economic development in 2019.
The country vowed to reduce imports of solid waste and push for better air quality with better regional coordination and heavy-polluter revamps, according to the ministry.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in air quality, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Chinese cities, Haikou, Hebei, Henan, improving, Lhasa, Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), see, Shanxi, Shenzhen, Uncategorized, Yangtze River Delta |
Leave a Comment »
16/06/2019
BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhua) — Self-driving trains for the subway line connecting downtown Beijing with its new international airport started trial run Saturday, according to local authorities.
Stretching 41.4 kilometers, the new line supports autopilot system and can run at a speed of 160 km per hour, with as many as 448 passengers, according to Beijing Major Projects Construction Headquarters Office.
It runs through Daxing and Fentai, two districts in the southern part of Beijing, and will take only 19 minutes to get from the Caoqiao station in Beijing’s south third ring road to the new airport after it starts operation by the end of September.
The line is part of an integrated transport network that will combine subways, expressways, intercity rail and high-speed rail with the airport at the center.
Beijing Daxing International Airport, located 46 kilometers south of downtown Beijing, is designed to take pressure off overcrowded Beijing Capital International Airport in the northeastern suburbs. It sits at the junction of Beijing’s Daxing District and Langfang, a city in neighboring Hebei Province.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in airport subway line, Beijing, Beijing Capital International Airport, Caoqiao station, center, Daxing, Daxing International Airport, expressways, Fentai, Hebei, High-speed rail, intercity rail, Langfang, Major Projects Construction Headquarters Office, new international airport, Self-driving trains, subways, Uncategorized |
Leave a Comment »
30/05/2019
- Cadres in Hebei village ordered to undergo self-criticism after photo of statue lying face down in the shrubbery was widely circulated online
- Reinforced plastic structure had been leaning against the wall awaiting repair when it was blown into the bushes
The photograph was widely circulated online, prompting a response from the local authorities. Photo: Weibo
A couple of grass-roots Communist Party members from northern China have been disciplined after a statue of Mao Zedong was photographed lying face down surrounded by overgrown bushes.
The government of Fuping county in Hebei province issued a statement late on Tuesday that the party chief of Huashan village, where the statue used to stand, had been given a “serious warning” for failing to protect the statue.
His immediate superior, the party head of Chengnanzhuang township, also received a warning.
The disciplinary action came after a picture of the statue lying amid the shrubbery was widely circulated online, triggering an angry response from Mao’s admirers.
The village has become a revolutionary tourist destination because the founding father of the People’s Republic spent some time there in 1948.
100 years on from China’s May Fourth Movement, its message is being co-opted by the Communist Party
The local government said on Sunday that the statue, showing Chairman Mao with a clenched right fist, had been erected in 2017.
It was removed from its plinth earlier this month after cracks appeared in the reinforced plastic model and its colour started to fade.
The government said it had been leaning against a wall after its removal on May 3, but was blown over by strong gusts of wind several days later.
It has now been sent to the manufacturer for repair.
Mao’s image still adorns the banknotes and many public spaces in China. Photo: Alamy
The local officials were punished for “lacking ideological understanding” of the removal, failing to give enough protection to the statue and being careless in their daily work, the local government said.
Besides penalties for the individuals, the township party committee was also ordered to undertake self-criticism – a practice that began under Mao.
Statues of Chairman Mao used to be a common scene all across China, many of them built in the late 1960s at the height of the Cultural Revolution.
Shenzhen official kicked out of Chinese Communist Party for ‘trading power for personal gain and sex’.
Although many of them were removed after his death when the government began the process of reform and opening up, they can still be seen in spaces such as town squares and university campuses. Mao’s face also remains on the country’s banknotes and a large portrait of him hangs in Beijing overlooking Tiananmen Square.
Source: SCMP
Posted in Beijing, cadres, chairman mao, Chengnanzhuang, Chinese communists, disciplined, founding father, Hebei, Huashan, May Fourth Movement, People’s Republic of China, statue, strong winds, Tiananmen Square, topple over, Uncategorized |
Leave a Comment »
14/03/2019
- Video from scene shows man on ground, imploring police to ‘Beat me to death’
- Investigations go on after pupils treated for non-life-threatening injuries
Video footage purports to show a suspect apprehended by police after reports of assaults on pupils at a primary school in Fengrun district of Tangshan city in Hebei province. Photo: Handout
Several pupils were attacked outside a primary school in northern China on Thursday.
Police said the incident took place in the Fengrun district of Tangshan city in Hebei province at about 1.30pm. It was not clear how many pupils were wounded or how their wounds were inflicted.
According to video footage obtained by The South China Morning Post, a suspect was arrested by police next to a pool of blood on the ground.
He could be heard saying, “Beat me to death, just beat me to death,” in the video.
Police officers named the suspect as Cui Zhenjiang, 54, of Fengrun.
Pupils involved in the attack were taken to hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, officials said.
Police said investigations were ongoing.
Onlookers and families gather at a primary school in the Fengrun district of Tangshan city in Hebei province after reports of an incident on Thursday afternoon.
Source: SCMP
Posted in children are attacked, China alert, Cui Zhenjiang, detain suspect, Fengrun district, Hebei, primary school, Tangshan city, Uncategorized |
Leave a Comment »
25/02/2019
BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) — China’s national observatory on Sunday forecast that some northern and eastern parts of the country would be shrouded in smog in the coming days while snow will hit western regions.
Thick smog will envelop northern and eastern areas including Hebei and Shandong provinces until Thursday, according to the National Meteorological Center (NMC).
From Sunday night to Monday morning, thick fog will be seen in the provinces of Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai and Hubei, reducing visibility in some areas to less than 200 meters, the NMC said.
From Sunday night to Tuesday, snow will hit west China’s Tibet, Qinghai and Gansu, while rain will soak the south from Tuesday to Wednesday.
Bad weather could disrupt traffic after the Spring Festival holiday when many people are returning to work after the break.
China’s Spring Festival travel rush started from Jan. 21 and will last till March 1.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in Anhui, China alert, Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, National Meteorological Center (NMC), national observatory, Qinghai, shandong province, Shanghai, Smog, snow, Spring Festival, Tibet, Uncategorized |
Leave a Comment »
15/02/2019
BEIJING, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) — Parts of north China including Beijing, Hebei Province and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region saw heavy snow on Thursday.
The snow started at around 5 a.m. in Beijing Thursday, following snow on Tuesday.
It started from the western and northern mountain areas, and gradually reached most parts of the city. It is expected to last until Thursday night, with a maximum precipitation of 4 mm in the western and northern mountain areas, and an average precipitation of 1 mm in downtown areas, according to the Beijing meteorological bureau.
The bureau has issued an alert for icy roads as of this morning.
More than one hundred bus lines were affected, and flights have been delayed and canceled at Beijing International Airport due to the snow.
According to the National Meteorological Center, north China is experiencing this winter’s largest and heaviest snow on Thursday, with estimated accumulations of as much as 2.5 centimeters.
Snow and low temperatures have hit most parts of the neighboring Hebei Province since Wednesday. The provincial government has issued emergency notices to require departments of heating, transportation, public security and city management to make preparations for the lingering snow and low temperatures in the following days.
Local power supply companies have strengthened patrols to ensure stable power supply.
Many parts of Inner Mongolia also saw snow early Thursday morning. The capital city Hohhot was covered with snow by 8:00 a.m.
“Although the heavy snow is inconvenient, it is very exciting. Only snow can make the winter feel real,” said Wei Qiang, a resident of the city.
The region has embraced a dry winter with the capital city receiving no prior snowfall. But a round of snow, strong winds and cool weather will continue to batter most parts of the region until Friday, according to the local meteorological observatory.
So far, local traffic and agricultural facilities have been affected by the snowy weather. Relevant departments have been ordered to take precautionary measures and solve problems in a timely manner.
Source: Xinhua
Posted in Beijing, Beijing International Airport, China alert, heavy snow, Hebei, icy roads, inner mongolia autonomous region, meteorological bureau, meteorological observatory, National Meteorological Center, power supply companies, precautionary measures, province, Uncategorized, Wei Qiang |
Leave a Comment »
CHINDIA ALERT: You'll be living in their world, very soon 