Algae attack: "If we don't clean this up, we're done for"

A story about algae invading Beijing would usually be considered for a blog post but when the article concerned has the quote "If we don't clean this up, we're done for" at the start of the second paragraph the article becoming essential blogging. When this is coupled with the phrase "cloying stench" then I know I am onto a winner.

China are taking these games very seriously from shutting down factories ahead of the games to help with air quality to employing armies of workers to clear away the attaching Algae. It would be efficient if the cleaners were the workers from the closed factories but that would be asking a lot.

China Olympic City Battles "Invading" Algae [PlanetArk]

QINGDAO, China - In China's Olympic co-host city Qingdao, sea breezes that usually bring relief from baking summer temperatures now bring a cloying stench from a massive algae bloom that locals fear will harm the city's bucolic image during the Games.

"If we don't clean this up, we're done for," said local businessman Zhang Longfei, pointing at a blanket of green weed stretching far out to sea at Qingdao's No. 3 Bathing Beach.

"You think tourists and Games visitors want to see this?" Zhang said, taking a break after lugging a sack full of green weed onto a growing pile offshore.

More notable quotes:

Local authorities say 30,000 people and have now been drafted into the cause, and have drawn a line in the sand demanding that the algae, which invaded Qingdao in mid-June, be completely expunged from sailing competition areas by July 15.

and

"It's clearly related to pollution," said Yang Lingwu, who brought her family and colleagues to help clean the No. 3 beach. "There are a lot of phosphates and a lot of industry, like chemical factories, near Qingdao that discharge into the sea."

Daily challenge - try to use the word "cloying" in a conversation today (with or without stench).

For additonal reading on the Olymics and air pollutions see:

Olympians Face Circulation Woes in Beijing's Bad Air - Experts [PlanetArk]

HONG KONG - Olympic athletes exposed to Beijing's polluted air face possible blood circulation problems which could affect their performance, experts say, adding they should avoid crowded places whenever possible.

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