TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The air quality is to worsen markedly during Thursday (December 12) due to seasonal northeasterly winds bringing in pollution from outside the country, according to the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).

The pollution wave was expected to reach the North early in the morning and to gradually expand all over the island to reach orange and even red warning levels for unhealthy air, the Central News Agency reported.

The PM2.5 level in areas north of Hsinchu and Miaoli was likely to reach 50 to 70 µg/m3 during the day, with the wind carrying the pollution further south during the afternoon. Strong winds along the coast of Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan might make the situation there even worse and whip up dust clouds, the EPA said.

While in the north and center, air pollution levels might return to normal during Friday (December 13), in the south worse conditions might endure as winds would slow down and prevent the dust particles from being carried away.

The EPA said it was taking measures to combat air pollution, such as spraying water on roads, encouraging construction sites to cover up building materials, checking on food preparation in the open air, and telling coal-fired energy plants to cut their emissions, CNA reported.

