The Chinese capital Beijing was covered in thick brown dust on Monday morning as a result of heavy winds blowing in from inner Mongolia and other parts of northwestern China.
The China Meteorological Administration announced a yellow alert on Monday morning, saying sandstorms had spread from inner Mongolia into the provinces of Gansu, Shanxi and Hebei, which surrounds Beijing, reports Reuters.?
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Neighbouring Mongolia was also hit by heavy sandstorms, with at least 341 people reported missing, according to China¡¯s state news agency Xinhua. Flights have been grounded out of Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia.
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A yellow alert was issued in Beijing on Monday. The concentration of harmful PM2.5 particles in the air was about eight times the standard level (247 micrograms per cubic meter vs the recommended 25 micrograms).
Visibility was limited to less than 1,000 meters (0.6 miles). Cars were driving with headlights on and severe traffic jams occurred across the city in the early hours of Monday.
The city government ordered all schools to cancel outside sport and events and advised those with respiratory diseases to stay inside.
The poor air quality was due to a sandstorm from northern Mongolia, carried south by the wind and reducing visibility in Beijing to less than 1,000 metres, state media reported.
Beijing faces regular sandstorms in March and April due to its proximity to the massive Gobi desert as well as deforestation and soil erosion throughout northern China.??
Beijing has planted a ¡°great green wall¡± of trees to trap incoming dust, and has also tried to create air corridors that channel the wind and allow sand and other pollutants to pass through more quickly.
Beijing and surrounding regions have been suffering from high levels of pollution in recent weeks, with the city shrouded in smog during the national session of parliament which began on March 5.
All Inputs Reuters