As of 4pm this afternoon, 27 monitoring stations across Taiwan had issued an orange rating for air quality, mostly concentrated in the central and southern regions, the Ministry of Environment (MOENV) Web site showed.
An orange warning indicates air quality that is “unhealthy for sensitive groups.”
None of the monitoring stations nationwide reported a “green” air quality rating, with all other stations recording yellow for “moderate” air quality.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Environment
The ministry advised those sensitive to pollution, such as the elderly, children and those with weaker immune systems, to reduce strenuous outdoor activities and wear masks for protection.
Northeasterly winds could carry pollutants to Taiwan and its outlying islands, particularly affecting southern regions such as Tainan, as well as Changhua, Taitung, Chiayi and Yunlin counties, which may experience dust and poor visibility, the MOENV said yesterday.
The degree of impact would depend on upstream pollutant build-up and rainfall, it said.
Central and southern regions lying downwind would be more prone to pollutant accumulation, it added.
Through Friday, prevailing winds from the northeast to east-northeast could potentially carry small amounts of pollutants from abroad, it said.
While winds are to switch eastward over the weekend and reduce the impact of external pollution, pollutants may accumulate in western Taiwan, it said.
As the northeast monsoon arrives on Monday next week, dispersion conditions on the windward side would be average, although central and southern regions may again see slight pollutant buildup, it added.
US climber Alex Honnold is to attempt to scale Taipei 101 without a rope and harness in a live Netflix special on Jan. 24, the streaming platform announced on Wednesday. Accounting for the time difference, the two-hour broadcast of Honnold’s climb, called Skyscraper Live, is to air on Jan. 23 in the US, Netflix said in a statement. Honnold, 40, was the first person ever to free solo climb the 900m El Capitan rock formation in Yosemite National Park — a feat that was recorded and later made into the 2018 documentary film Free Solo. Netflix previewed Skyscraper Live in October, after videos
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
RSS