Shaanxi sees more dusty days  

陕西沙尘日创5年同期之最 民众频遇污染之困

记者18日从陕西省气象局了解到，今年以来，该省已遭遇2次沙尘天气过程，其中3月9日至13日持续出现沙尘，沙尘日数量创近5年来同期最高。

Xi'an (Ecns) – Shaanxi province has suffered dust-related weather twice this year, and between March 9 and 13, it saw lingering dust. Dusty days hit a record high compared with the same period of the past five years, according to the Shaanxi meteorological bureau on Monday.

On Sunday, the 24-hour average concentration of PM10 levels in 13 monitoring sites in the city showed a downward trend, while the PM2.5 intensity was relatively high. Nine of the 13 stations reported "heavily polluted."

According to statistics, since late February, the temperature in Shaanxi has been 4 ℃ higher than in the same period of past years. It's the highest in 50 years. Meanwhile, other weather conditions, such as no effective rainfall and poor soil moisture, all resulted in more dusty days.

In addition, as of March 14, dust-related weather hit the mainland five times this year, according to statistics from the China Meteorological Administration.

A survey of 7,000 residents in 31 provinces and regions on the mainland showed that 91.4 percent of respondents think that air pollution affected their own lives and over 50 percent are willing to do their utmost to improve the quality of the environment.