The nation’s most serious air pollution since 2012 is expected to improve today with the influence of a sandstorm weakening, an Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) official said yesterday.
The nation’s air quality has worsened since Friday evening when the sandstorm from China’s Gansu Province and Inner Mongolia began to affect Taiwan, EPA Department of Environmental Monitoring and Information Management Director-General Chang Shuenn-chin (張順欽) said.
As of 11am yesterday, the agency’s air quality monitoring station in Yunlin County’s Taisi Township (台西) indicated hazardous air quality levels, which is indicated by the color maroon on the EPA Web site.
Photo: CNA
The key air pollutant in the township was coarse dust particles that measured 10 micrometers in diameter or smaller (PM10).
PM10 concentration soared to 628 micrograms per cubic meter yesterday morning, but dropped to 270 micrograms per cubic meter by 6pm yesterday, EPA data showed.
The poor air quality was caused by dust from the Jhuoshuei River’s (濁水溪) dry banks, which was carried on strong winds, Chang said, adding that local wind speed reached 14 meters per second.
The influence of air pollution from China is expected to diminish following the weakening of northeastern monsoon winds today, Chang said.
Air quality in central Taiwan is less likely to improve, as atmospheric conditions are not conducive to the diffusion of pollutants, Chang added.
However, environmental group Act Clean Taiwan questioned the agency’s claim that the township’s pollution was caused by riverbed dust.
The only monitoring station to indicate hazardous levels was in the industrial area of Taisi, the group said, adding that other monitoring stations in the township should have also hit hazardous levels if the dust was the cause of the pollution.
Meanwhile, Tri-Service General Hospital Ophthalmology Department director Lu Da-wen (呂大文) said the hospital has seen an increase of outpatient visits for eye swelling complaints.
“People should avoid rubbing their eyes, or more particles could get into the eyes and break the small blood vessels within, causing subconjunctival hemorrhage,” he said, adding that people can use an antihistamine solution or a wet towel to alleviate discomfort.
“People should avoid outdoor activities when air quality is poor, but if it is unavoidable, people should wear glasses or goggles while outside,” he said, adding that wearing contact lenses could attract pollutants.
People who have allergies, asthma or who are using eye drops to treat glaucoma or macular degeneration should be on high alert during a sandstorm, Lu said.
Additional reporting by CNA
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
The China Coast Guard has seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, Beijing’s state media said, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has waved away competing assertions from other countries as well as an international ruling that its position has no legal basis. China and the Philippines have engaged in months of confrontations in the contested waters, and Manila is taking part in sweeping joint military drills with the US which Beijing has slammed as destabilizing. The Chinese coast guard
RSS