By Wang Jingqiong (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-06-10 10:41

All fireworks will be banned across Beijing between July 1 and Oct 8 for safety reasons ahead of and during the Olympics and Paralympics, the city's safety administration said yesterday.

According to a new regulation published on the administration's website, the ban on firecrackers and fireworks will be extended to areas beyond the Fifth Ring Road.

Previously, it applied only to areas within the Fifth Ring Road. People in that area could use fireworks only on special occasions, like Spring Festival and other festivals, the administration said.

Therefore, there have been long-term selling points in places outside the Fifth Ring Road.

Last Sunday, a visitor at a holiday resort in Beijing's Huairou district set fire to 800 sq m of hillside while setting off fireworks. He ran away after the incident, but the person who sold him the fireworks had his license revoked, the police said. The fireworks were of low quality, they said.

The sale of all fireworks will be prohibited through Oct 8, and all stocks will be collected and stored in warehouses designated by the administration.

Hou Ping, a student from Shandong University, said she agreed the policy was good for safety and the environment.

"I want there to be as little noise and dirt as possible when I go to Beijing in August", she said.

The regulation also stated that gas stations within 300 m of Olympic venues and all Games-designated gas stations must install video surveillance equipment and explosion-prevention devices.

"Gas stations can be dangerous places, and we will attach great attention to preventing accidents. We have learned from other cities, like Athens, about explosion-prevention technology, to ensure safety during the Olympics," Zhang Jiaming, head of Beijing administration of work safety, said.

During the 14-week ban, the safety watchdog will stop approving new projects involving the production or distribution of highly toxic chemicals.

Meanwhile, hazardous chemical workshops, warehouses, distributors and mines have to report to the local safety watchdog on a weekly basis in July and daily in August.

The city will also ban the use of liquid chlorine as a disinfectant because the chemical stings eyes and can be toxic.

(China Daily 06/10/2008 page4)