Two people died and widespread damage reported following this
week's sandstorm in northern China.
And a new storm has been forecast today by the weather
bureau.
The deaths were confirmed in the southern parts of northwest
China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, one of the
worse-hit areas of this week's giant sandstorm.
Beijing forestry officials said the amount of damage was under
investigation.
The sandstorm, the worst so far this spring, had abated by
yesterday in 10 provinces throughout north and northwest China.
The new sandstorm is expected to not be as severe.
"It will not be as bad as the one that has swept over Beijing
with an estimated 300,000 tons of dust dumped," said Yang Weixi,
chief engineer of the desertification-control office under the
State Forestry Administration (SFA), at a briefing.
As the worst spring disaster affecting China's dry north and
northwest, the problem cannot be entirely controlled, he
admitted.
"But, we can mitigate the damages it may cause by controlling
over-farming, overgrazing, increasing vegetation cover and building
wind breaks and balancing regional ecosystems," he said.
During the briefing, Yang outlined the impact the sandstorms had
on China and its neighbouring countries.
He said some of the country's most severe sand and dust storms
originated in Central Asia or Mongolia.
Of the 40 sandstorms hitting China from 2000 to 2004, 29 came
from areas outside the country, a survey by SFA indicate.
"The disaster is actually a common enemy for China and many
other countries including our neighbours," he said and appealed to
more countries to join hands to combat the problem.
To fight against the disaster, China has co-operated with some
northeast Asian countries. "We are ready to share our experiences
with more of our neighbours," he said.
(China Daily April 21, 2006)