Beijing's Olympic organisers are planning a new set of emergency measures to reduce pollution after the draconian steps introduced a week ago failed to halt a grimy haze from smothering the host city.

The air quality has failed to reach national standards for four of the seven days since the city took more than a million cars off the roads and shut down hundreds of factories.

With less than two weeks until the opening ceremony, the organisers are preparing more drastic step to ensure that the "Greyjing" tag does not undermine its promise of a "Green Olympics" and force the postponement of endurance events like the marathon, triathlon and 10km open-water swim.

According to the China Daily, all construction sites and more factories in and around Beijing may be temporarily closed if the air quality deteriorates during the games.

Further traffic restrictions could also be imposed in addition to existing controls that allow vehicles to drive only on alternate days according to whether they have odd or even number plates. The measures have already been expanded to neighbouring Tianjin.

"We will implement an emergency plan 48 hours in advance if the air quality deteriorates during the August 8-24 games," Li Xin, of the Beijing environmental protection bureau, was quoted as saying. After a few days of clear, blue skies following the traffic controls, air pollution has built up amid heavy humidity and a lack of wind.

According to the Beijing government, the amount of particulate matter in the air has failed to reach the national benchmark of 100mg a cubic metre for the past four days. Today, it rose to 113, more than double the far tougher ideal standard of 50 set by the World Health Organisation.

This does not include ground-level ozone, which is not measured in China even though it can be hazardous to the respiratory system at high levels during humid summer weather.

The data highlights a typically Chinese phenomenon: compared to the past, the situation is much better than before. But set against international standards, the country is still lagging by a distance.

Beijing is proud of the environmental gains made in recent years. Millions of coal-burning homes have been converted to gas, production at the biggest iron company has been cut by 73% and more than 2,000 old buses and 5,000 taxis are being upgraded or replaced with cleaner models. Five new urban railways have been added to the public transportation system.

Environmental groups applauded the measures, but said it was unlikely to be enough to satisfy global expectations. "Despite the efforts of the government, Beijing air quality probably is still not what the world is expecting from an Olympic city," said Greenpeace campaign director Lo Szeping.

"The athletes will be breathing 150 litres of air per minute ... So for athletes this is a particular concern." The organisers sought solace from the heavens. A storm front is heading towards Beijing with a 90% chance of rain tomorrow.

"This is a blessing. It could not happen at a better time. Help from mother nature is very welcome," said Jeff Ruffolo, a spokesman for the Beijing Olympic organisers. "We haven't had a good rainstorm for a couple of weeks. We could do with some of that right now."

But the organisers must be careful what they wish for. Scattered thunder showers are forecast to last until at least Wednesday next week. If the rain persists, it could put a damper on the opening ceremony two days later, which will include a spectacular fireworks display.

In a cost-cutting and environmentally-friendly measure, the government scrapped plans to build a roof on the stadium. According to the organisers, there is a 50-50 chance of rain on August 8.
(Por Jonathan Watts, The Guardian, 28/07/2008)