China will clear up algae in time for Olympics sailing
Posted 4th July 2008 at 02:57 PM by NewsTracker
By Tham Choy Lin
Beijing - China is confident that it will be able to clean up a massive algae outbreak in Qingdao, the host city of the Olympics sailing competition with the Games just five weeks away.
Chemical and biological means are being considered to add to the manual clear up to ensure the venue will be ready, Beijing Olympic Games Organising Committee Executive Vice-President Jiang Xiaoyu said Thursday.
"We are fully confident ... the focus now is to clear up the training areas for the sailors because the teams are already here to train," he said, after receiving the Olympic medals handed over by sponsor, BHP Billiton.
Mr Xiaoyu said algae was not uncommon on the coast of Qingdao but the current bloom first detected on 31 May was the most serious in recent years.
"The city government, the provincial government and the sailing organising committee are going all out to clear the areas.
“We are using manual labor to haul out the algae and we are studying the use of chemicals and biological techniques for the clean up too," he said.
Olympic sailors from 30 countries are currently in Qingdao, their training disrupted by the algae bloom that has spread to a third of the 50 square kilometres of the area for the Olympics competition, Xinhua News Agency said.
More than 10 000 people and 1 200 vessels have fished out 170 000 tonnes of the seaweed which authorities say would be cleared by 15 July.
Central ocean experts are tracing the current flows to check on origins of the algae and 30 000m of mesh have been strung to stop it encroaching further into competition waters.
Wwang Shulian, Qingdao oceanic and fishery vice-director, denied the algae outbreak was due to polluted waters off Qingdao.
"The algae is of various sorts, which will prosper if the temperature and salinity of sea water is right", Mr Shulian said. – BuaNews-NNN
Beijing - China is confident that it will be able to clean up a massive algae outbreak in Qingdao, the host city of the Olympics sailing competition with the Games just five weeks away.
Chemical and biological means are being considered to add to the manual clear up to ensure the venue will be ready, Beijing Olympic Games Organising Committee Executive Vice-President Jiang Xiaoyu said Thursday.
"We are fully confident ... the focus now is to clear up the training areas for the sailors because the teams are already here to train," he said, after receiving the Olympic medals handed over by sponsor, BHP Billiton.
Mr Xiaoyu said algae was not uncommon on the coast of Qingdao but the current bloom first detected on 31 May was the most serious in recent years.
"The city government, the provincial government and the sailing organising committee are going all out to clear the areas.
“We are using manual labor to haul out the algae and we are studying the use of chemicals and biological techniques for the clean up too," he said.
Olympic sailors from 30 countries are currently in Qingdao, their training disrupted by the algae bloom that has spread to a third of the 50 square kilometres of the area for the Olympics competition, Xinhua News Agency said.
More than 10 000 people and 1 200 vessels have fished out 170 000 tonnes of the seaweed which authorities say would be cleared by 15 July.
Central ocean experts are tracing the current flows to check on origins of the algae and 30 000m of mesh have been strung to stop it encroaching further into competition waters.
Wwang Shulian, Qingdao oceanic and fishery vice-director, denied the algae outbreak was due to polluted waters off Qingdao.
"The algae is of various sorts, which will prosper if the temperature and salinity of sea water is right", Mr Shulian said. – BuaNews-NNN
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