Air quality monitoring stations in western Taiwan issued orange warnings today, as the lack of wind meant that pollutants were not being dispersed, the Ministry of Environment said.
As of 4pm, the ministry indicated that air pollution was worst in coastal parts of Changhua County, where "red alerts" were triggered at monitoring stations in the area.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
An orange warning indicates that the air is "unhealthy for sensitive groups," while a red alert signals that it is "unhealthy for all groups."
The air quality in eastern Taiwan, which is not industrialized and separated from the west by a mountain chain, experienced good air quality throughout the day.
The ministry attributed the poor air quality to high pressure ridges, as well as the predominance of southeasterly winds, which made it hard for pollutants in western Taiwan to be dispersed.
It did not provide any explanation of what the sources of the pollutants were.
The situation could worsen in the coming days, the ministry said, warning of increasing pollution in the central part of Taiwan.
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