The air quality in central and southern Taiwan is forecast to remain poor today due to dust from a sandstorm in China being carried on northwesterly winds, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday.
A sandstorm blowing from the eastern Chinese coastal provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian has affected the air quality across much of Taiwan, including in outlying Lienchiang and Penghu counties, the EPA said in a statement.
Air quality in Changhua County has deteriorated, with the concentration of particulate matter measuring 10 micrometers of less (PM10) rising to 240 micrograms per cubic meter, the EPA said, citing data from Thursday afternoon.
Photo: CNA
The effects of the sandstorm are expected to continue lowering central Taiwan’s air quality, the EPA said, with areas in the central and southern regions under a “red” alert and most other regions under an “orange” alert.
The agency on Thursday said it had taken some measures to avoid an escalation of the problem.
These include a reduction in coal-generated energy on Wednesday and Thursday by a directive to state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower) and private thermal power plants, the EPA said.
Easterly to northeasterly winds were recorded across Taiwan yesterday morning, limiting dispersal of the pollutants on the western half of the country, as it is on the downwind side, the agency said.
A weather front during the day today could bring rain and improved air quality to central and northern Taiwan, although downwind areas in central and southern Taiwan would not see much dispersal, it said.
Strengthening northeasterly winds in the evening could bring more pollutants, worsening air quality in western Taiwan and on outlying islands, it added.
Winds could turn easterly to southeasterly from tomorrow to Tuesday, continuing poor diffusion and leading to possibly more “red” air quality alerts in the center and south, the EPA said, adding that people should continue to monitor the forecast as it develops.
Suspended particulate concentration in Zhejiang and Fujian was 250 to 400 micrograms per cubic meter, while the concentration of fine particulate matter was 60 to 80 micrograms per cubic meter, the EPA said.
Non-hazardous levels of PM10 are defined by the EPA as 100 micrograms per cubic meter or lower.
Additional reporting by Kayleigh Madjar
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