Haze to stay in Chengdu for a few more days

The area around the Kuan and Zhai Alleys, one of the best-known visitors' attractions in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, which feature ancient streets dating back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), is shrouded in dense haze early Thursday morning. Since Tuesday, Chengdu has witnessed the worst haze in its history. [Photo by Huang Zhiling/chinadaily.com.cn]

Pedestrians in Chengdu, Sichuan province, were surprised that darkness fell at 4 pm on Tuesday, with the sky turning black and clouds yellowish.

As an emergency response, street lamps were turned on at around 5 pm, one hour earlier than usual.

Meteorologists attributed the scenario, which was like a doomsday drama, to the aftermath of haze, said scol.com.cn, a major news portal in Sichuan.

As Chengdu has been experiencing more foggy days and has had no strong wind, pollutants have accumulated in the atmosphere, resulting in the deterioration of air quality, according to the Chengdu environmental protection bureau.

Zhang Cheng, director of the central surveillance room of the city’s lighting management center, told Chengdu Economic Daily that he had found the sky was abnormally dark at around 3:30 pm. As visibility was so low, he filed an application that street lamps had to be turned on earlier.

It was very rare for Chengdu to turn on its street lamps at 5:10 pm, he said.

Soon after 4 pm, police asked drivers to turn on car lights with the help of a local radio station.

The haze is likely to stay for two or three days.