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Beijing Blanketed After Sandstorm Sweeps In
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Sandstorms have hit the Chinese capital of Beijing and carpeted the city in a thick blanket of yellow dust.he storm, which earlier lashed parts of north east China, brought strong winds and cut visibility in the capital.
Authorities issued a rare level five pollution warning, signalling hazardous conditions, and urged residents to stay indoors.
Dust storms frequently hit the arid north of China in the spring, when temperatures start to rise, stirring up clouds of dust that can travel across China, to South Korea and Japan and even as far as the United States.
Scientists blame a combination of deforestation and prolonged drought in northern China and Mongolia for the phenomenon.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences has estimated that the number of sandstorms has jumped six-fold in the past 50 years to two dozen a year.
The dust blanketed streets in the capital and covered parked vehicles in a fine yellow coating.
Meanwhile in the south west of the country, drought has now left 16 million people with a shortage of drinking water, according to a statement issued by the State Commission of Disaster Relief.Since late last year, the provinces of Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou, have received only half their annual average rainfall, leaving water supplies severely depleted [link to news.sky.com]
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