Planet China: Smog Affects 500 Million People

On the Margins of Sanity

About 250 million people across six provinces were affected by hazardous levels of smog, with another 280 million experiencing “heavy” pollution, according to various estimates.

“On Monday, the PM2.5 reading in many parts of northern China, mainly in Hebei and Henan, exceeded 500 micrograms per cubic meter. One reading in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei, exceeded 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter.”

Ghost Riders in the Sky? China chokes on smog: Caoxian County, east China’s Shandong Province. Severe smog pervading northern China worsened on Monday, smothering dozens of cities, stopping flights, closing roads… and disrupting life. (Image: Xinhua/Dong Xide)

Classifying Smog as a “Natural Disaster!”

Meanwhile, Beijing and Shanghai have attempted to
classify smog as a “natural disaster” so that the “authorities would not have to take full responsibility for it,” said a report.

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Typhoon CHAN-HOM Approaching E China Coast

Powerful typhoon forces 900,000 evacuations in East China

CHAN-HOM is forecast to land between Sanmen and Zhoushan in east China’s Zhejiang Province Saturday afternoon, said the National Meteorological Center (NMC).

At 5.00 am local time on Saturday,  the typhoon was located about 185 kilometers from Xiangshan County in Ningbo, with sustained winds of 187 km/hr [gusting to a maximum of 225 km/hr,] and was moving northwestward at 20 km/hr.

The typhoon is expected to bring heavy rains to Zhejiang, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, and Taiwan, said NMC.

[CHAN-HOM could trigger widespread, potentially deadly flooding and devastating landslides. FEWW]

Authorities in China have evacuated about 900,000 people in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang ahead of Typhoon CHAN-HOM, the second typhoon to hit China in two days, official Xinhua reported.

The evacuations began after NMC issued a red alert, their highest level, on Friday morning.

About29,000 ships and fishing boats were recalled to port Friday, and hundreds of flights into and out of the region were cancelled, said the report.

Several coastal cities were already reporting heavy rains and strong gales on Friday, officials said.

CHAN-HOM could be the strongest typhoon in 66 years to land in Zhejiang, said the NMC.

Typhoon LINFA, the first of three typhoons headed for eastern China, made landfall on Thursday in the southern province of Guangdong, bringing torrential rain and flash flooding to the area.

Dozens Killed in Shanghai Stampede for Fake Money

“Fake dollars” stirs up Shanghai crowed into a deadly frenzy

At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured in a stampede during New Year celebrations in Shanghai, east China.

The incident occurred at Chenyi Square in Shanghai’s Bund area at around 11:35 pm when coupons that looked like dollar bills were thrown from a building resulting in a deadly frenzy to collect the fake money, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Original caption: Photo taken on Jan. 1, 2015 shows a picture of a coupon in a cellphone that looks like “dollar bill” which was thrown from a building’s third-floor window near the scene of an accident that caused casualties among people who took part in new year celebrations in east China’s Shanghai. New Year celebrations in Shanghai’s bund area went astray Wednesday night as a stampede resulted in 35 people dead and 42 injured. A witness said that some coupons were thrown from a building’s third-floor window near the Bund and people standing along the river bank started to scramble for these coupons. The city has set up a working team for rescue operations and to deal with the aftermath. (Xinhua/Ding Ting). More images…

Death Toll Rises in Philippine Storm

Death toll from Tropical Depression JANGMI (local name “SENIANG”) has climbed to at least 54, said a report.

JANGMI weakened into a low pressure area (LPA) on New Year’s eve.

The fatalities were reported in Central and Eastern Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Caraga and Davao regions,said the report.

The final storm to hit the Philippines in 2014, JANGMI affected 486,512 people in seven regions, triggering 17 incidents of flooding and 12 landslides, destroying or damaging 1,533 houses.

“Thirty-eight roads and 20 bridges remain non-passable in the Visayas, Northern Mindanao and Caraga regions.”

United States

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued dozens of Warnings, Watches and Advisories as “an unusually cold low pressure system” continues to “move from the Colorado River Valley to the southern Rockies Thursday.”

An extreme cold front swooped on Southern California causing several deaths and injuries and plunging temperatures in the Los Angeles Basin by at least 10 degrees below the average.

Meantime, temperature plunged to a record -19 degrees Fahrenheit at Denver International Airport on Tuesday, smashing the previous minimum record of -11 degrees set 116 years ago.

National High and Low Temperature (for the contiguous United States)

Low Temperature for Wednesday, December 31, 2014

• -44.5ºC (-48ºF) at Daniel, WY

High Temperature for Wednesday, December 31, 2014

• 28.3ºC (83ºF)  at West Kendall (Tamiami AP), FL

NWS Weather Prediction Center, College Park, MD – Issued 1 am EST Thursday, January 1, 2015

Temperature spread (calculated by FIRE-EARTH) = 72.8°C (131°F)

 

Bulgaria

A state of emergency has been declared in three municipalities in Montana District, Northwest Bulgaria, said a report quoting the officials.

“Big snowdrifts of over 1 metre formed on Monday, December 29, at about 3:00 p.m. along the roads in the municipalities of Valchedram, Lom, Yakimovo, Brusartsi and Medkovets owing to strong winds and heavy snowfall,” said the report.

Huge Fire Razes Shanties in a Manila Slum

Thousands of poor families have been displaced after a huge fire destroyed about 1,000 shanties in a metro Manila slum. The fire was reportedly ignited by firecrackers.

The massive blaze, which razed a kilometer-long row of shanties, was one of at least 14 major fires reported across the country as Filipinos ushered in the New Year.

Two of the fires turned deadly claiming at least a dozen lives, local media quoted the authorities as saying.

2013 Disasters in China Cost about $70B

EXTREME WEATHER & CLIMATIC EVENTS
HUMAN-ENHANCED NATURAL DISASTERS
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Natural disasters cost China about $70 billion in 2013

Droughts and deluge, earthquakes and typhoons cost China about $70 billion in 2013, nearly twice the total in 2012.

The National Statistics Bureau reported flooding and mudslides cost China about $32billion in 2013, an increase of nearly 11 percent on  previous year, said Reuters.

Damage from droughts nearly quadrupled to about $15billion, while storm surges, snowfall and freezes cost an additional $7 billion.

Seismic disasters, primarily the deadly Sichuan Earthquake, added more than $16 billion to the total.

[For a comprehensive listing of disasters in China search blog content.]

China is the world’s biggest energy-related CO2 emitter (23.6% in 2009), and 2nd biggest cumulative energy-related CO2 emitter during the 158-year period between 1850 and 2008, accounting for about 9.37 % of the total.

Top Ten cumulative energy-related CO2 emitters (1850 – 2008)
1. The United States (28.56 %)
2. China (9.37%)
3. Russia (7.98%)
4. Germany (6.77%)
5. United Kingdom (5.78%)
6. Japan (3.94%)
7. France (2.75%)
8. India (2.53%)
9. Canada (2.18%)
10. Ukraine (2.14%)

Seawater intrusion affecting 2 million people in Shanghai

Meanwhile, CNTV reported:

Seawater is causing problems for two million people in Shanghai. The city is enduring its longest-lasting salt tide in more than 20 years. As of this morning, the salt tide intrusion has already lasted for 21 days, the longest since 1993. Shanghai is located at the mouth of the Yangtze River.

The intrusion occurs periodically, especially in winter and spring when the Yangtze water level is relatively low. High salt levels in water is harmful to people’s health, machinery, and crops. Shanghai’s water authorities say the reservoir built in 1993 can only hold a ten-day water supply. They’ve established a comprehensive plan to coordinate the city’s waterworks and appealed to the national government for support.

Chen Guoguang, senior engineer of Water Supply Distribution & Monitoring Center, said, “Together with the previous two salt tides, the intrusion this time is causing huge harm to our water safety. The whole process isn’t expected to end until early next month.”

“Apocalyptic” Smog Paralyzes Much of China

Closed or Cancelled: Dozens of Highways, hundreds of flights and long-distance buses, thousands of schools…

Severe smog, which began engulfing northern, central and eastern regions of China on Wednesday, is forecast to persist through the weekend.

Shanghai’s PM2.5 pollution soared to 590 micrograms per cubic meter, about than 30 times the limit recommended by the World Health Organization. Xuhui District recorded pollution levels of about 602.4 micrograms per cubic meter, said Xinhua.

Shanghai (population: 25 million) is the most populated city in China and the largest city proper by population in the world.

Shanghai’s skyline Thursday morning.  Severe smog has reduced visibility to dangerously low levels disrupting rail, air, water and road transportation. (source: People’s Daily Online/Wang Chu). More images…

Nanjing (population: 8.2 million), the capital of Jiangsu Province, issued a “red alert” on Wednesday after color of the sky turned mustard yellow. The PM10 pollution level was 413 (from a peak of 467) with PM2.5 at 397 (peak of 462), as of posting.

Social media users in China described the environment in deserted cities with the sky turning pale yellow as “apocalyptic,” reported Reuters.

Meantime, visibility reduced to less than 50 meters in many places, forcing highways to shut in east China’s Jiangxi Province on Thursday morning. Xinhua said its reporter had seen thousands of drivers stranded on the Changdong Highway in Nanchang (population: 5.3 million), the capital of Jiangxi Province.

“Twenty-five provincial-level regions have been suffering smoggy weather, including the cities of Hangzhou and Nanjing, according to the National Meteorological Center,” reported Xinhua.

[China has 34 provincial level divisions, classified as 22 provinces, 4 municipalities, 5 autonomous regions, 2 Special Administrative Regions, and the claimed Taiwan Province.]

In October, smog forced the shutdown of Harbin, one of northeastern China’s largest cities, as Visibility dropped to under 10 meters.

PM2.5 concentration of about 15 – 25 micrograms per cubic meter pose little or no risk, according to the World Health Organization.

Smog News Headlines

• Dust masks sell out as smog shrouds Chinese cities
• Shanghai to suffer smog into the weekend
• Flights delayed as air pollution hits record in Shanghai

Related Links

• “Apocalyptic” Smog Turns Skies Yellow in North, East ChinaDecember 5, 2013
• Shanghai Air Pollution Shoots Off the Chart Posted on December 2, 2013
• China’s Air Quality Chart Goes Apesh*t Again  October 28, 2013
• Air Pollution Levels Climb in China, India  October 27, 2013
• Breathtaking Beijing in ‘Maroon Alert’  October 4, 2013

• Major City Shuts Down in China Smog Emergency  October 21, 2013
• Smog Forces China’s Expressways Closures Posted on October 6, 2013
• Hazardous Smog Chokes Northern China Posted on February 28, 2013
• Beijing Buried in Smog – Again! Posted on February 17, 2013
• Dense Smog Continues Choking Much of China Posted on February 1, 2013

FITOW Dumped 717mm of Rain in 70 hrs

Large Swathes of SE Asia Submerged Under Floodwater

FITOW affects at least 12 million people in E China

Torrential rains brought by Typhoon FITOW continued to batter Shanghai City and Zhejiang Province in eastern China, submerging roads, causing rivers to overflow and inundating tens of thousands of homes in the region.

“From Saturday to 10 a.m. Tuesday, Zhejiang saw average precipitation of 201mm, with 717mm in worst-hit Yuyao City, according to the Zhejiang provincial hydrological bureau,” said a report.

Flooding Shanghai, east China, Oct. 8, 2013. Torrential rains by Typhoon FITOW brought Shanghai to a standstill on Tuesday. (Xinhua/Ting Ding)

Typhoon Death and Damage Toll

The typhoon’s death toll in China reached at least 6 on Monday, with four others reported missing.

The storm has affected more than seven million people in 11 cities in Zhejiang province alone, causing direct economic losses of 12.4 billion yuan ($2 billion), officials said.

Ningbo City received a record 390mm of rain between Saturday and  Monday, said the report.

FITOW made landfall in Fujian Province, south of Zhejiang, early on Monday, bringing torrential rains and causing widespread flooding  to east China.

Shanghai was also heavily affected. FITOW dumped about 153 mm of rain, the highest in a single day since 1961, between 8 pm Monday and 12 am Tuesday.

“A 15-meter-long flood prevention wall on the Huangpu River, which flows through the city, collapsed on Tuesday, flooding nearby residential houses,” said the report.

Related Links

• Okinawa Battered by 2nd Typhoon in 24 Hrs October 7, 2013
• FITOW Turns Deadly October 7, 2013
• Typhoon FITOW Forces Hundreds of Thousands of Evacuations October 6, 2013
• Typhoon FITOW Chased by Cyclone DANAS October 5, 2013
• Typhoon FITOW Makes Minor Detour October 4, 2013
• Two Cyclones Moving Toward Japan October 1, 2013
• WUTIP Hammers Central Vietnam October 1, 2013
• Typhoon WUTIP Headed for Vietnam, Laos, Thailand September 29, 2013
• USAGI Disaster Update: 25 Dead; 7,100 Homes Destroyed September 23, 2013
• FEWW New Hurricane Scale September 3, 2008
• Satellite Imagery

More Deaths and Destruction as Floods Hit China

Floods in China’s Yunnan province affect 1.6 million, killing dozens

Severe floods in southwest China’s Yunnan Province have affected 1.6 million people, killing at least 45, and displacing more than 26,500 others, said a report.

Original caption: Vehicles are stranded on a landslides-hit road in Yiliang County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Aug. 25, 2013. Rainstorms-triggered mountain floods, landslides and mud-rock flows hit the county in this weekend. (Xinhua/Peng Hong)

Rainstorms and floods wreak havoc in NE and S China

The latest round of flood crests on the Songhua River is expected to reach Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province [population: ~ 10 million] , on Tuesday, flood control experts said on Sunday.

Meanwhile, nearly 600 oil wells in Daqing, one of China’s major oilfields, which is about 150 kilometers from Harbin, have halted operation.

Persistent downpours since Aug 14 have caused the worst flooding since 1998 in the northeastern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang [85 lives lost, 105 people missing,] which are the heartland of China’s grain production.

Heavy rain is likely to hit the provinces of Yunnan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Sichuan and Hubei and Shanghai, with the precipitation in southwestern Yunnan expected to reach 100 to 150 mm from Sunday to Monday, the National Meteorological Center forecast on Sunday.[Xinhua]

Worst Flooding in a Century

Original caption: Photo taken on Aug. 26, 2013 shows residential houses inundated in floods in Shengdeku Village of Fuyuan County, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. Heilongjiang has seen its worst flooding in a century with continuous rising water levels. About 300 households from the flooded Shengdeku Village and Heiyupao Village of Fuyuan County were evacuated before the floods swept their hometowns, inundating nearly 400,000 mu (about 26,667 hectares) of farmlands. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei). More images…

Typhoon Trami kills 2, affects 200,000 in China

Downpours brought by Typhoon Trami and monsoon have left two people dead and nearly 200,000 affected in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said Monday.

Rainstorms also toppled 668 rooms of 348 households and seriously damaged another 855 rooms of 451 households in Guangxi.

Typhoon Trami was the 12th typhoon to hit China this year. Rainstorms brought by the typhoon have also swept Zhejiang and Fujian provinces, affecting 1.4 million people and forcing the relocation of 351,000, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said on Friday.  [Xinhua]

Original caption: A villager checks his house damaged by flood at Zhoujia Village of Fuchuan Yao Autonomous County, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Aug. 22, 2013. Trami, which was downgraded to tropical storm status, would likely bring persistent rain and cause floods in Guangxi. The region had been drenched by Typhoon Utor last week. (Xinhua/Lu Bo’an)

Hospital hit by landslide in SW China

Original caption: Geologists check the landslide site in Yiliang County, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Aug. 26, 2013. A rain-triggered landslide occurred on Monday morning at a hill behind the People’s Hospital in Yilang, which damaged part of the hospital. Patients and residents in the surrounding area were evacuated and no casualties were reported. (Xinhua/Peng Hong). More images …

Flooding Links

• Major rivers rise, 6,000 dykes breached
• Historic flooding in claims 125 lives, affects 3.7 million

Shanghai Sets Yet Another Record High Temp.

Shanghai issues a fifth red alert for heat, as city sets a new record high of 40.8ºC

Having experienced its hottest July on record, Shanghai set a record-high temperature of 40.6ºC on July 26. That record was broken today, when the mercury soared to a new high of 40.8ºC (105.5ºF), said  a report.

The city also set a new record for the number of consecutive hot days in July, with temperatures exceeding 38ºC for eight straight days.

The heat is expected to persist in Shanghai until Sunday, forecasters said.

The heat wave is reportedly the worst to hit China in 140 years, leaving scores of people dead.

Among the effects of the scorching summer heat has been a rise in demand for ambulances. “Ambulances are being dispatched 1,000 times a day, while on extremely hot days it’s more than 1,100 times,” said Shanghai Medical Emergency Center.

Severe Drought Continues to Spread in SW China

Meantime, a severe drought continues to spread across southwest China affecting at least 15.11 million people in one province alone.

Drought in southwest China’s Guizhou province, which began mid-June, has spread to 27 counties, leaving 13 areas severely affected, said the Guizhou Provincial Government.

Drought has affected tens of millions of people in southern, southwestern, eastern and central China, leaving millions of people and livestock short of drinking water, and damaging or destroying millions of hectares of crops.

Mining every last drop of water

Original caption: Villagers search for water in a karst cave at Shimen Village of Songtao County, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, Aug. 6, 2013. A lingering drought has left about 2.25 million people short of drinking water in the province. (Xinhua/Ou Dongqu). More images…

Original caption: Farmers prepare to dig a well on the dried riverbed in Shitingzi Township of Qidong County, central China’s Hunan Province, Aug. 1, 2013. As of July 31, lingering droughts have affected many parts in Hunan. Nearly 1.29 million people lack adequate supplies of drinking water, and a total of 786,000 hectares of farmland is damaged by the drought. (Xinhua/Long Hongtao). More images…

Farmers fear for crops as S. China drought drags on

Original caption. Photo taken on Aug. 2, 2013 shows a dried corn in Baji Village of Zunyi County, southwest China’s Guizhou Province. Lingering droughts in Guizhou have affected more than 12 million people. Over 2 million people lack adequate supplies of drinking water, and a total of 12.7 million mu (about 847,300 hectares)of farmland is damaged by the drought. (Xinhua/Yang Ying). More images…

Related Links

• Major Catastrophe Unfolding in China
• China’s Latest Drought Disaster Figures

Shanghai Raises Heat Alert to ‘Red’

Heatwave continues to plague 13 provinces across China

The heat is forecast to last until the middle of August, with temperatures rising to 41ºC, said the meteorological authorities in China.

Tuesday was the fourth hottest day in August for Shanghai, after the city set a new all-time record-high of 40.6ºC on Friday, breaking the previous record high of 40.2ºC set nearly 80 years ago, said the report.

“The China Central Meteorological Center says high temperatures are reaching severe levels, with the hottest days to hit China’s south. The region may experience high temperatures above 37 degrees Celsius, whilst 7 provinces and municipalities including Hunan, Hubei and Chongqing may experience temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius.”

Air Quality Index

Meantime, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Beijing climbed to 271 on Tuesday, and the air pollution in Yangzhou City in east China’s Jiangsu Province turned the sky diabolic red.

Original caption: Photo taken on Aug. 5, 2013 shows the red clouds in the sky over Yangzhou City, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Meng Delong). More images …

Related Links

• Major Catastrophe Unfolding in China
• China’s Latest Drought Disaster Figures

 

Thousands of Dead Pigs Dumped in Shanghai River

Porcine circovirus (PCV) found in Shanghai drinking water source

More than 3,000 dead pigs were dumped in the upper reaches of the Huangpu River, a source of Shanghai’s drinking water, authorities said.

Dead pigs removed from the Hengliaojing Creek in Shanghai’s district of Songjiang. The creek flows into the upper reach of the Huangpu River, a source of the city’s drinking water. 

“The number is expected to rise as there are still six barges that have not returned from collecting carcasses. We have to act quickly to remove them all for fear of causing water pollution,” the director of Shanghai Songjiang District Environmental Protection Bureau, told the Global Times.

The authorities don’t yet know what killed the pigs. Tests for common pig-borne diseases including swine fever, foot and mouth, hog cholera and epidemic diarrhea have thus far proved negative, said a report.

• China Shrouded in Sand, Dust and PM March 10, 2013

United Kingdom

The danger posed by growing resistance to antibiotics is ‘as big a risk as terrorism,’ the UK medical chief, Professor Sally Davies has warned, describing the threat as a “ticking time bomb.”

 

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March 11, 2013 – DISASTER CALENDAR SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,097 Days Left 

Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.

• SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,097 Days Left to ‘Worst Day’ in the brief Human  History
• The countdown began on May 15, 2011 …

GLOBAL WARNINGS

• WARNING: Human impact 2.85 x Earth’s diminishing carrying capacity
• WARNING: RAPID PLANETARY DECLINE IN PROGRESS!
• Europe: The First Phase of Collapse Has Started 
• United States: The First Phase of Collapse Has Begun

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

2 Million Evacuated as Typhoon HAIKUI Strikes China

Disaster Calendar – 8 August 2012

SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,316 Days Left

[August 8, 2012] Mass die-offs resulting from human impact and the planetary response to the anthropogenic assault could occur by early 2016.  SYMBOLIC COUNTDOWN: 1,316 Days Left to the ‘Worst Day’ in Human History…

–

HAIKUI brought torrential rains and winds of 150 km/h to east China

The massive typhoon forced authorities to evacuate about 2 million people from Zhejiang province and the outskirts of Shanghai. Earlier, HAIKUI had forced about 300,000 people in the Philippines to flee their homes.

Typhoon HAIKUI. IR NHC Enhancement Satellite Image – Source: CIMSS. The 11th typhoon of 2012 landed near the Sanmenwan Gulf in central Zhejiang (east China) early Wednesday morning, bringing torrential rains and triggering widespread flooding, the local observatory said.

Other Global Disasters/ Significant Events

• Manila, Philippines. Up to a million people have been severely affected as seasonal monsoon rains, enhanced by Typhoon SAOLA and tropical storm HAIKUI, pounded the Philippines capital and surrounding areas for the 12th day, triggering widespread flooding that has inundated about two-thirds of Manila (Population: >12 million).  
  
  • The flooding and landslides have left dozens of people dead, and hundreds of thousands displaced since late July.

Global Disasters: Links, Forecasts and Background

• The First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Back to the Primordial Future
• The Fate of Energy Dinosaurs
• Mass Die-offs

• 2010 Disasters [Links to 2010 Disaster Calendar]
• Mega Disasters
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• 2012 Disaster Calendar

HK’s Air Pollution Claims 600 Lives

Hong Kong’s roadside air pollution breaks yet another record

Hong Kong Air Pollution. Source: Crazy Hong Kong. Image may be subject to copyright. Click images to enlarge.

At least 594 people have died prematurely in 2010 from the effects of worsening pollution levels in HK, the University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health has reported.

“The figure has already surpassed the official death toll of the SARS epidemic, which is believed to have killed 299 people in Hong Kong seven years ago,” a report said.

Roadside pollution set a new record in the March quarter, teh report said.

The University of Hong Kong’s Hedley Environmental Index (HEI) shows that the 2010 air pollution has already cost the region HK$1.3 billion (US$167.54 million). The deadly smog has also been responsible for 4.36 million doctor visits and about  45,000 hospital stays, the report said.

Deadly Smog Over China

Download large image (5 MB, JPEG) — images were  acquired October 8, 2010

A high-pressure weather system over eastern China led to air pollution accumulating in the region for about a week. China’s National Environmental Monitoring Center declared air quality “hazardous” around Beijing and in 11 eastern provinces on October 10, as visibility was reduced to about 100 meters (330 feet). The poor visibility also led to  at least 32 deaths in traffic accident, reports say. “On October 8, 2010, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua and Terra satellites captured this natural color view of the smog event in China. The milky white and gray covering the center of the image is smog and fog, while the brighter whites at the left and right edges are clouds.” NASA EO said. “The Ozone Monitoring Instrument on NASA’s Aura satellite detected extremely high levels of aerosol particles (lower left image) and sulfur dioxide (lower right) on October 8. The sulfur dioxide typically comes from coal-burning power plants and smelters, and the peak concentrations—6 to 8 Dobson Units—were six to eight times the norm for China and 20 times the norm for the United States. The Aerosol Index indicates the presence of ultraviolet light-absorbing aerosols, most likely smoke from fires and industrial processes. At an AI value of 4, aerosols are so dense that you would have difficulty seeing the midday sun.”

“More than half of China’s total water supply is undrinkable. And nearly a quarter of China’s surface water is considered unsafe even for industrial use. Acid rain is also threatening major cities like Shanghai,” a report said.

Related News Links:

• On the trail of a killer (A Must Read Interview on SARS and the airborne sewage in Hong Kong)
• Breast Cancer Risk Linked to Traffic Pollution
• Air Quality and Pollution is Getting Worse in China

Other Related Links:

• First Wave of World’s Collapsing Cities
• Nuking Earth for Lifestyle
• Giga Trends
• The Root Cause Matrix
• State of the World

• Hong Kong may be among the world’s first Megapolises to experience a total collapse
• It’s H5N1 and It’s Hong Kong, AGAIN!

• Energy Dinosaurs Fight for 2nd Place
• China determined to go all the way!
• Carbon Footprint of Your Dollar

Extreme Rain Events Devastate Large Parts of China

More than two months of extreme rain, flooding, landslides in China affect tens of millions of people

Hundreds, most probably thousands have been killed, millions of hectares of cropland destroyed, tens of millions of people have lost their homes and livelihoods.

Extreme Rain in China

Image created using data from the Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis at GSFC, which is  calibrated by the TRMM satellite, acquired July 6 – 12, 2010. Source: NASA E/O.  Click image to enlarge.

End of the Line!

Buses are blocked on a waterlogged street in Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei Province, July 13, 2010. (Xinhua/Chen Zhuo). Image may be subject to copyright. See fair use notice.

Related News Links:

• Special Report: Floods, heavy rains plague China
• Rainstorms and the floods have killed at least 107 people with 59 others reported missing in ten provinces and municipalities — mostly along the Yangtze River
• Torrential rains to continue to plague central, eastern China: forecast
• Yangtze dike set for blasting as flood precaution
• Floods, heavy rains plague China

Related Links:

• Earth: Wounded and Feverish
• China: Yuan or Your Life?

• Collapse Diary: When Will the Collapse Occur?
• 2010: Year One of Human-Enhanced Disasters
• 2010 Disaster Calendar [JULY]