Beijing cracks down on illegal street barbecues

The Chinese capital Beijing is stepping up efforts to reduce illegal barbecues, in order to cut down on roadside air and noise pollution. The city has issued outdoor barbecue permits to several qualified night markets, which are equipped with environmentally friendly cooking equipment that gives off less pollution.

May is the peak time for outdoor grill cooking, which takes a heavy toll on air quality, traffic and residents, says Dang Xuefeng, spokesman for the Chinese capital's Bureau of City Administration and Law Enforcement.

"As the weather warms up, the streets gradually fill up with roadside barbecue spots, sizzling kebabs on the grill and cold beer, which also create serious air pollution and undesired noise for the neighborhoods," he says.

In addition to sanitation concerns, the smoke from outdoor barbecues is high in fine particulate matter concentration, which poses a severe threat to residents, especially those with heart and lung problems, Dang said. Downtown is the most severely affected area, he says, adding that most outdoor barbecues are illegal.

Pan Xiaochuan, a professor at Peking University's School of Public Health, said the smoke from barbecues is a very common source of PM2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrometers, and poses a serious threat to people's respiratory systems.

He also suggests that residents are easily irritated by barbecue smoke close to their windows.

Operators of illegal barbecues face fines of up to 5,000 yuan and may have their facilities confiscated, authorities say.

The city administration office steps up inspections on illegal roadside barbecues every May, and residents can file noise and pollution complaints by telephone.

The city's Environmental Protection Bureau began regulating illegal outdoor barbecues in 2000, but controlling the problem has been difficult.

"To have some kebabs and cold beer while shooting the breeze with friends in the summer is a must for us, and nothing can replace it," says Lu Shuze, a 27-year-old primary school sports teacher in Beijing. "This has been a part of my life since college."

Lu says May is the best time for barbecues because mosquitoes aren't so bad yet and the temperatures are comfortable.

Dang doesn't know how many night markets have received permission to barbecue outdoors, but he says the requirements are very strict.

The government has also warned of the dangers associated with barbecuing in woodland and the city's parks.

"Beijing is still in the middle of forest fire prevention season, and barbecues can easily result in a forest fire," says Yu Zhanyu, deputy director of the forest public security office of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Landscape and Forestry.

The region's forest fire prevention season runs from November 1 to May 31, but can be extended due to dry conditions.

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/05/23/beijing-cracks-down-on-illegal-street-barbecues/