Meanderings

Yellow-orange snow falls in Siberian province

MOSCOW, Feb 1 2007

Russia's emergency situations ministry said Thursday it was dispatching experts to a Siberian province to find out why yellow and orange snow has been falling in several villages, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported.

"A chemical test unit will be sent to Omsk.... It's main task will be to investigate pollution in the region and establish the degree of danger represented by the anomalous snow fall," the agency quoted an unnamed official from the ministry as saying.

Snow ranging in colour from light yellow to orange and carrying a distinctive "musty" odour was observed Wednesday in five districts of Omsk province, which lies in western Siberia and borders Kazakhstan, ITAR-TASS said.

"Residents are advised not to use snow for their household or technical needs and to limit walking, either by people or their pets, in this area," the official said.

The affected area measures about 1,500 square kilometres (580 square miles) and is home to over 27,000 people, the ministry said.

Officials have already been gathering snow samples, it added.

The Omsk province is known as a centre of the oil industry and the provincial capital is among Siberia's largest cities.

Agence France Presse -- English

February 1, 2007 Thursday 8:22 PM GMT

( More news on this )

Section: General News - Thailand's first solar-powered bus was announced Tuesday with fanfare suggesting it not only is suitable for public transport in cities, but is also noise- and air-pollution free.

Dr. Anond Bunyaratvej, the secretary-general of the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), presided at a press conference to announce the success of developing the country's first solar-powered bus.

Sponsored by NRCT, the environmental friendly bus was developed by Air Marshal Morakot Charnsomruad and his research team.

The six-wheel bus has 20 passenger seats and is seven metres in length. Installed with 10 solar cell panels 1.5 x 0.66 metres on its roof, the cells produce a maximum capacity of 1,200 watts, while the unit is coupled with a 6-volt battery.

Especially designed for passenger service in city zone, the vehicle has a maximum speed of 60 kilometres per hour, an 18,000 BTU air conditioning system, and a radio and TV system. When there is no sunlight, a spare battery system is installed for backup.

Marshal Morakot said that the solar bus is a research project in line with King Bhumibol Adulyadej's initiative in energy saving and envionmental protection. While oil prices are soaring, this type of public transport is quite suitable for city commuting, he said.

The prototype cost Bt8.5 million, Marshal Morakot said, but produced commercially, it may cost as little as Bt 3 million.

The NRCT plans to present the success of this project to HM the King and is considering the feasibility of putting it in full public service.

( source )

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