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Air Quality!!! Kunming Not So Good.

yankee00 (1632 posts) • 0

We might be in the same place. There were quite a lot of trucks on the road yesterday night until early morning, and construction noise here this morning. It's probably their time of the month

tallamerican (396 posts) • 0

Rather ironic with Chinese Congress meeting now that air quality in every large chinese city is horrible right now. Also interesting that smaller cities who often have better air quality such as Luxi, Quijing, Liuzhou, Beihai,etc. suddenly no data has been available for those cities for the last several days. Almost all the cities usually in the green are now no data available. Not sure if Kunming actually is concerned about there air quality. With air quality not so good last few days would have thought they would have stopped the large prison on north west side from spewing the cloud of toxic smelling black smoke which drifts into the city almost every morning around 8.

abcdabcd (428 posts) • 0

here's some good news that may improve air quality? or maybe it's just rhetoric? ha ha.

news.yahoo.com/[...]

China's new priority: social wellbeing over growth

China's government promised its people Tuesday deficit-fueled spending to fight deep-seated corruption, improve the despoiled environment and address other quality-of-life issues demanded by an increasingly vocal public looking for change.

AlPage48 (1394 posts) • 0

Most of the pollution in Kunming comes from vehicles. The only way to reduce the pollution is to get cars and/or buses off the road. The subway will help, if it ever arrives.
People driving in such a manner that they do not create traffic jams and gridlock would help too, but it's still a matter of volume.

Some rain would clear the air as well, and also fill the reservoirs. Perhaps the government could legislate some rain.

tallamerican (396 posts) • 0

@abcdabcd, I am sure the pollution from 14 million cars that hit chinese roads this past year has not helped. Kunming added a fair share of those new cars in china. All the tearing down of old high rises within the 2nd ring road has contributed a lot of dust and i can see the haze forming over the city after the winds decrease in the evening and the trucks are able to enter the city after 10:00pm. I am sure the drought has not helped the dust situation a whole lot.

GoK Moderator (5096 posts) • 0

If it is any consolation, in Shanghai 10 years ago they used to drive like they do in Kunming today. Then about 5 years ago the traffic density got so great that you could see that you were not getting further ahead (same car next to you even if you lane hop) driving like this. Once people realised it was a waste of time and money driving like a chimp, they stopped.

I feel that Kunming is rapidly approaching that traffic density where people start to figure out that if you obey the rules you get there just as quick, and you have fewer near misses.

I am also sure that the drought is not helping. In the last month the level of dust we are experiencing at home has shot up. My boogers are getting bigger and tougher too.

abcdabcd (428 posts) • 0

Alpage, Beijing has a fairly extensive subway system. It hasn't helped the pollution levels. There are still more and more cars on the roads each year and the air has gotten worse.

GoK Moderator (5096 posts) • 0

Yep, BJ definately has a car culture. If you have a car you have to be seen driving it. The subwas systems provide an alternative means of transport for those who do not yet have a car, usually.

Except for the environmentally concerned traveler, bad traffic seems to be the only real reason for people to seek alternative means if they already own a car. But this it true the world over.

yankee00 (1632 posts) • 0

Heavy vehicles in Kunming also still use old engines. With more constructions, more trucks are coming in, bringing a lot of dirty exhaust smoke and noise. At the intersection of Beijing Lu and Beichen Dadao at night, it's quite a party.

As the subway system expands in Beijing, there are also more factories opening near the suburban lines, especially Daxing and Shunyi, surrounding the city with thicker smog. Shunyi used to be a place with cleaner air and blue sky before more foreign companies were encouraged to open their factories along the newer subway line.

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