People urged to prepare for sandstorms

People navigate a dust-choked street in strong wind in Alshaa Left Banner, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, on Friday. (WANG WEIWEI/FOR CHINA DAILY)

China's top forestry and grassland authority said on Friday that it will promptly issue warnings and take emergency measures in response to the sandstorms that are forecast to be more frequent and powerful this month.

Sun Tao, a senior engineer from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, shared the information via video link after the country's National Meteorological Center predicted that most areas in northern China are about to experience sandstorm weather on Saturday, with severe sandstorms in some local areas.

Driven by intense cold air, North China is expected to continue experiencing historically rare gale weather in the following days, which will bring serious sandstorms to some areas in Gansu province and Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia autonomous regions, according to Sun who specializes in desertification monitoring for the administration.

"Sandstorms can lead to a decline in air quality and affect people's daily lives, so we suggest everyone minimize travel and outdoor activities, while also taking the necessary measures to windproof temporary structures and billboards," he said.

Meanwhile, he called on vulnerable groups and those prone to respiratory diseases to take health precautions, noting that transportation sectors are being advised to prepare for traffic safety and potential emergencies.

"Farmers and herders should reinforce greenhouses and livestock shelters immediately," he said, suggesting forestry, grassland and agricultural production teams strengthen regular protective measures for seedling bases and desertification control projects.

He revealed that in accordance with this month's weather forecast, the number of sandstorm days in northern China is expected to be higher and the intensity stronger than during the same period in previous years.

In response, "we'll make full use of the sandstorm disaster management platform, promptly take emergency measures, issue early warning information, conduct research and strengthen real-time monitoring, with great efforts to share scientific knowledge with the public," he added.

This spring, there have been five sand-dust events in northern China, he said, stating that the frequency was slightly more than that in the past 20 years.

"The current ground conditions, such as insufficient soil moisture, sparse snow cover in Mongolia and delayed vegetation recovery in North China, have created a perfect storm for sand and dust uplift," he explained.

Additionally, "the higher ground surface temperature in most areas of our country and no obvious precipitation in northern regions last week have also made the surface conditions unfavorable for suppressing the occurrence of sand-dust weather," he said.

While sandstorms pose hazards, Sun noted their ecological role: "Globally, they transport nutrients across continents, fertilizing soils and oceans. Our focus should be on scientific prevention — respecting natural cycles while combating desertification through collective action."