Snow for thought

Shrouded in white, Beijing did look beautiful after the heaviest snowfall in 40 years. But the snowfall disrupted air traffic and made driving and walking dangerous, too. The problem did not stop there. The use of nearly 30,000 tons of snow-melting salt in just a couple of days has caused potential damage not only to asphalt roads, but also to trees on pavements and underground water.

The municipal government, however, has no other option to ensure a relatively smooth movement of traffic. The slush created by dust and the melting snow still makes driving and walking difficult, and the city looks dirty and ugly.

It is unrealistic to think that the more than 20,000 sanitation workers, no matter how hard and long they work, can clear 30 cm of snow in a matter of days. One of them suffered a cerebral hemorrhage after working continuously for nearly 100 hours in sub-zero temperatures.