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A spectator poses for photographers
while watching the beach volleyball event of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in
Beijing, China, Aug. 16, 2008. For a second day, the Olympic host city
Beijing reported Grade I -- or excellent -- air quality on Saturday. In
most of the day, the city basked in sunshine. (Xinhua/Sadat)
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Gallery>>> |
BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) -- For a second day, the
Olympic host city reported Grade I -- or excellent -- air quality on Saturday,
the eighth day of the Olympics. In most of the day, the city basked in
sunshine.
Figures released by the China Environmental
Monitoring Center (CEMC) revealed that Beijing's Air Pollution Index (API)
showed a reading of 23 on Saturday, which fell into Grade I, whose API reading
ranges between 1 and 50. On Friday, CEMC's figures showed an API reading of
17.
China uses the API system to report the country's air
quality. An API reading between 51 and 100, or Grade II, means the air quality
is fairly good. An API reading between 101 and 150, or Grade III, entails the
air quality is slightly polluted.
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A Brazilian spectator poses for
photographers while watching the beach volleyball event of Beijing 2008
Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Aug. 16, 2008. For a second day, the
Olympic host city Beijing reported Grade I -- or excellent -- air quality
on Saturday. In most of the day, the city basked in sunshine.
(Xinhua/Sadat)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
Also on Saturday, deputy director of the Beijing
Municipal Bureau of Environmental Protection Du Shaozhong said the city reported
seven days with Grade I air quality in the first half month in August, which was
the highest since 1998.
In the other eight days, Beijing's air quality was in
Grade II, which was within the standards to host the Olympics.
"Beijing often reports more days with Grade I air
quality during the autumn and winter in comparison with the summer. But this
August, the number of days with excellent air quality is unusually high," he
said.
Since 1998, the highest monthly number of days with
excellent air quality in the summer was five, in July of 2006, he said. Last
August only two days reported excellent air quality.
Du forecast that Beijing's air quality would be
excellent or fairly good during the Olympics and Paralympics. "Should weather
conditions be favorable, Beijing's air quality would be excellent. Should
weather be unfavorable, the air quality would be in Grade II," he said.
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Spectators watch the beach volleyball
event of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Aug. 16, 2008. For
a second day, the Olympic host city Beijing reported Grade I -- or
excellent -- air quality on Saturday. In most of the day, the city basked
in sunshine. (Xinhua/Sadat)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
Wang Zifang, a Beijing-based expert on weather
forecasting, said Beijing's air quality would be excellent until Monday.
"During Aug. 19-21, the wind is forecast to change
direction and may bring pollutants from cities to the southeast of Beijing, such
as Tianjin and Langfang," Wang said.
Du attributed good air quality to efforts made by
Beijing to curb air pollution over the last nine years, especially this
year.
Beijing municipal government said it had poured more
than 140 billion yuan (20.5 billion U.S. dollars) since 1998 into more than 200
projects dedicated to improving the city's air quality.
In the run-up to the Beijing Games, the host city
implemented some drastic measures to reduce pollution.
In one of these measures, Beijing has imposed an odd-even restriction system based on licence plate numbers that would keep vehicles off the road on alternate days from July 20 to Sept. 20.
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People walk by a giant banner on a street in Beijing, China, Aug. 16, 2008. (Xinhua/Zhang Yanhui)
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