Beijing may see firecracker-caused pollution in Spring Festival Holiday

A woman wearing mask looks up into the hazy sky in Beijing on Wednesday. Beijing issued a smog alert on Wednesday, days after the conclusion of the APEC summit. The hazy smog is expected to disperse tomorrow. [Photo/IC]

BEIJING -- Beijing is likely to suffer serious pollution caused by firecrackers during the upcoming Spring Festival holiday, according to an air quality monitoring official.

The weather conditions from Feb. 18 to 20 in the capital will not effectively help disperse pollutants and therefore the massive burning of firecrackers and fireworks during the period may lead to serious pollution, Li Yunting with the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center said on Monday.

Chinese people traditionally set off firecrackers to celebrate the Spring Festival, or the Chinese Lunar New Year, especially on Lunar New Year's eve, which is on Feb. 18 this year.

Beijing will see strong winds during the daytime of Feb. 18, but rising humidity and weak winds are forecast during the night, Li said.

Monitoring data shows burning of firecrackers contributes greatly to air pollution, Li said.

"The fewer firecrackers the better," he said.

Beijing is expected to consume less firecrackers this year. Orders at local retailers are down 20 percent this year as authorities cut the number of permitted sales days and reduced retail spots amid pollution concerns.

The local government approved 942 firecracker retail spots this year, more than 100 fewer from a year ago. The city missed a key pollution reduction target last year and vowed more stringent efforts and fiscal support to curb air pollution this year.