Poor air quality reported in western Taiwan

Taipei, March 12 (CNA) Air quality monitoring stations in western Taiwan issued orange warnings on Wednesday as the lack of wind meant that pollutants were not being dispersed, according to the Ministry of Environment (MOENV).

As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, the MOENV indicated that air pollution was worst in coastal parts of Changhua County where "red alerts" were triggered at monitoring stations in the area, the ministry said.

An orange warning indicates that the air is "unhealthy for sensitive groups" while a red alert signals that it is "unhealthy for all groups."

The air quality in eastern Taiwan, which is not industrialized and separated from the west by a mountain chain, experienced good air quality throughout the day.

The MOENV attributed the poor air quality to high pressure ridges as well as the predominance of southeasterly winds, which made it hard for pollutants in western Taiwan to be dispersed.

It did not, however, provide any explanation of what the actual sources of the pollutants were.

The situation could worsen in the coming days, the ministry said, warning of increasing pollution in the central part of Taiwan.