When the storm occurs, people are asked to restrict their outdoor activities so they will breathe in the polluted air. The magnitude of impact is directly connected with the intensity of the storm. The more severe ones can cause problems for people going to work and hence can disrupt economic activities. Some of the respiratory problems caused by the YDS can be severe enough to prove fatal. It has been noticed that in areas that encounter yellow dust storms annually, there is an increase in mortality rate.
The effect on farm land is also serious in nature. While the dust itself doesn't harm the farm activities, it is the sulphuric emission and acid rain resulting from the storm that destroy crop by damaging the soil. When soil is affected, animal life is also seriously harmed by the storms especially the cattle. But the effect on sea life is even graver. The economic effects are also especially troublesome as hundreds of flights are cancelled, construction is stopped, manufacturing faces obstacles and general delays crop up in every economic area. (Ai, 2003)
To help us gauge the possible effects of YDS, researches Guo and his colleagues (2005) cite examples of two storm cases and resulting destruction: "a YDS occurred in 1993 in Gansu Province, China directly affected area of 1.1 million square kilometers, caused 85 deaths and 246 injuries, destroyed 4,412 houses, killed 120,000 livestock, and damaged 373,000 hectares of crops land. The direct economic cost of the YDS alone was estimated to be more than 550 million RMB, or about $66 million at current...
Another YDS in April 2000 in Beijing shut down nearly 60 million square meters construction sites, caused 129 flight delays, and increased road accidents of 20-30% over normal conditions."
Thus it would be wrong to say that Yellow Dust storms are not as harmless as the name sounds. They are not just dust storms that you generally see in every area. They are particularly hazardous because of their severity and the havoc they wreck on the lives of the people in affected areas. Apart from the dust itself which causes visibility problems and economic disruption, it is the presence of acids in sand particles which are particularly dangerous to respiratory function of humans as well as
animals. Due to an increase in
desertification as larger area comes under dryness, this phenomenon is becoming a threat to people in China, Mongolia and
Korea. Storm warnings are issued well in advance so people can prepare themselves. But this is not a solution and more people are now urging the
government to do something concrete about YDS. One imminent solution is forestation. If more and more trees are grown and if deserted areas are quickly occupied with trees and construction, there is a good chance that it would help control the severity and frequency of yellow dust storms.
Reference
Zhan Guo, Karen R. Polenske, Ning Ai, Evaluation of Yellow-Dust Storms and Countermeasure Policies in…
