Beijing enjoys clear day but haze edges up

BEIJING (Reuters) - Official pollution levels stayed relatively low in Beijing with the city bathed in bright skies on Sunday, five days before the Olympic Games open.

Three days of clear weather mean emergency measures to take over a million more cars off the roads will probably be unnecessary, a government official in charge of pollution said.

A week after the city was cloaked in a humid haze trapping fumes and dust, rains and breezes have helped clean the air, easing worries of Olympic Games athletes enduring smog.

"As we have seen from the last few days, the air looks good. So I doubt emergency measures are necessary," said Fan Yuansheng, director general of the department of pollution control at the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

"Hot, humid and stagnant" weather would trigger the additional measures, Fan said, as the government pulls out all the stops to make sure the Games are a success.

The Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau found air quality was "good" in the 24 hours up to midday Sunday, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Figures on the Bureau website (www.bjepb.gov.cn) also showed the main pollution worry -- tiny particulate matter from vehicles and industry -- edged up in several parts of town, though still well below recent highs.

By Sunday afternoon slight haze had returned to skies over the main National Stadium, known as the Bird's Nest, dulling views of buildings and distant hills that had been clear in the morning.

The city meteorological bureau (www.bjmb.gov.cn) forecast a top temperature of 34 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) for Monday, with a light breeze continuing to hold down pollution. It forecast similar rain-free conditions for Monday.

Pollution fears have dogged the build-up to China's biggest international event. About half of Beijing's 3.3 million cars are off the road, $18 billion has been spent on clean-up measures, and manufacturers around the city have closed down.

But fetid haze could return, and many of the more than 10,000 athletes are still delaying their arrival for the August 8-24 Games until the last minute to avoid bad air.

The glaring sunlight may also increase ozone levels, a pollutant not measured by the city's official air quality index. At high levels, ozone can affect breathing.

China last week announced emergency measures that would remove up to 1.45 million more cars off the streets of Beijing, neighboring Tianjin, and the cities of Hebei province that ring the capital. More factories would also be shut.

"We really don't want to have to use those measures. Our existing measures have done quite a lot to clear the air," Fan said.

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)

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