Kindgo
Advanced Member
Member # 2
|
posted
Moscow population urged not to panic as smoke smothers city
![[Big Eyes]](graemlins/darthmavis.gif) web page
Friday September 6, 6:54 AM
Moscow choked in suffocating smoke from forest fires, which shut down incoming traffic temporarily at all three major airports and prompted warnings for people to stay indoors.
Mayor Yury Luzhkov appealed to Moscow's 10 million residents not to panic, but the city meteorological service said the situation was serious with carbon monoxide levels more than twice the permissible level.
Luzhkov urged calm and insisted that the city authorities and medical services, "so far do not see anything critical," about the dense smog blanketing the Russian capital, Interfax reported.
But with reports of people fainting on the street, the head of the Moscow meteorological bureau, Alexei Lyakhov, told AFP that it was unadvisable to venture outdoors.
"We would advise people to stay inside. This particularly applies to children, the elderly and pregnant women," he said.
"There is no reason for panic but the situation is serious, so serious measures are needed," he added, predicting that the smoke would not disperse for at least another four to five days.
A giant cloud of smoke from the forest fires around the Russian capital also covered part of southern Sweden more than 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) away, the Swedish Meteorological Institute (SMHI) said. However a cold front arrived in Sweden late on Thursday to pushed the smog laden air away.
In total, 188 separate fires have been identified in the Moscow region, affecting 548 hectares (1,350 acres) of land, the RIA-Novosti news agency said. Fire-fighters, police squads and local volunteers, in total some 2,000 people, are battling against the fires.
The Moscow authorities decided against closing schools, but they barred teachers from taking children outside for sports or excursions.
For weeks, Muscovites have been waking up most mornings to the fumes and acrid smell of burning seeping through their apartments, caused by the worst forest and peat fires in the region for 30 years.
But the situation suddenly deteriorated overnight as the blazes spread.
The thick haze of smoke reduced visibility to 200 to 300 metres (600 to 1,000 feet), forcing air traffic control in the morning to halt for a few hours all arrivals at the capital's three airports, Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo.
Famous Moscow landmarks such as the Kremlin and the Christ the Saviour Cathedral were shrouded from sight by the smog.
"It's a nightmare. the air is unbreathable. I wait every day for some improvement but it gets worse and worse," Vera, a 60-year-old woman, told AFP.
Many cars were driving with their fog headlights on and some people wore wet handkerchiefs over their mouths. The smoke, which made people's eyes water and their throats itch, could be felt in offices and homes and was visible in underground stations.
The concentration of carbon monoxide in the air exceeded the maximum permissible level by 2.33 times on Thursday morning, a spokeswoman for the Russian emergencies ministry told AFP.
The emergencies ministry said the number of fires had doubled Thursday, admitting the authorities' helplessness.
The fires, many of which are smouldering in peat bogs, are considered almost impossible to put out in the present drought conditions, which are the worst for a summer period in the Russian capital in over 100 years.
Weather forecasters say rain, which could help put out the fires, is not expected until the middle of the month.
Moscow region authorities have declared a state of emergency in 22 districts around the Russian capital and governor Boris Gromov on Thursday appealed to Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov for help in dousing the fires.
Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov demanded an immediate investigation into the ecological effects of the smog, and said that his office might take action if evidence of negligence emerged, Interfax reported.
The last time such a phenomenon occurred was in 1972, also originating mostly in Shatura, a town located 100 kilometers (60 miles) east from Moscow. Peat marshes surrounding it have been ablaze for most of August, which was hot and dry.
--------------------
God bless,
Kindgo
Inside the will of God there is no failure. Outside the will of God there is no success.
Posts: 4320 | From: Sunny Florida | Registered: Jun 2002
| IP: Logged | 
|
Printer-friendly view of this topic
