By Chris Buckley
BEIJING (Reuters) - Haze that has covered Beijing for thelast few days cleared on Tuesday as rain fell 10 days beforethe Olympics begin, but the government came under renewedpressure from a damning human rights report.
The city's chronic pollution, an acrid mix of constructiondust, vehicle exhaust and factory and power plant fumes, hasbeen one of the biggest worries for Games organisers, whopromised a green Games and have enacted emergency measures tolift the pall.
They have raised the prospect of more pollution controls,in addition to keeping nearly half of Beijing's 3.3 millioncars off roads and shutting many factories near the capital,but have refused to give details, insisting air quality isimproving.
Du Shaozhong, deputy chief of the Beijing EnvironmentalProtection Bureau (BEPB), said the haze, which reducesvisibility to a few blocks, did not mean air quality wasnecessarily bad.
"We do not approve of the use of pictures to pass judgmenton air quality ... you have to look at the complete monitoringsystem, and scientifically look at the data," Du toldreporters.
"Cloud and fog are not pollution. This kind of weather is anatural phenomenon, and has nothing to do with pollution."
Beijing is not the only city to suffer under the pall ofpollution. Hong Kong, host to the Games' equestrian events, washit by its worst air pollution ever recorded on Monday.
The pollution was thick again on Tuesday, making it hardeven to see across the former British colony's famed harbour.
"I think it's very difficult for the horses and for theriders too, they have to acclimatise," said Reinhard Wendt, thechef de mission for the German equestrian team.
"We can see how the horses and riders feel. But we don'tknow if it's from the heat or the humidity or the dirty air. Weare not used to such circumstances, and the feeling is not sogood at the moment."
PREVENT RISKS
Many athletes have delayed arriving in Beijing until thelast minute to avoid bad air, and the International OlympicCommittee (IOC) said it may reschedule endurance events such asthe marathon to prevent health risks to athletes if pollutionis bad.
"The IOC medical group has said that the air quality willbe okay for any competition up to an hour, and beyond thatwe're in a position to reschedule," senior IOC member KevanGosper said.
"Our concern is the toxin level in that air -- you getfogs, you get cloud, you get wind storms and you get highhumidity and you get high temperatures but the real issue iswhether any of this will be injurious to the athletes," he toldReuters.
Japanese athletes may don masks made for constructionworkers to guard against air pollution during the Games, adoctor affiliated with the Japanese Olympic Committee said onTuesday.
Australian team officials said this week Australianathletes would be allowed to withdraw from their events if theyfelt the pollution posed a threat to their health and safety.
Australians competing in athletics events also will notattend the August 8 opening ceremony in Beijing, in large partbecause of pollution concerns.
World record holder Haile Gebrselassie has pulled out ofthe marathon over fears of damaging his health.
Also in Hong Kong, Amnesty International took aim atanother Olympics sensitivity -- human rights -- in a reportsaying China failed to honour pledges made when seeking to hostthe Games.
"There has been no progress towards fulfilling thesepromises, only continued deterioration," said Amnesty's report.
Amnesty said China targeted human rights defenders,journalists and lawyers to "silence dissent" ahead of theGames.
Chinese officials had no immediate response to the report.
LAST MINUTE
Beijing will take more steps to control pollution ifneeded, the BEPB's Du said, but denied a report in thestate-run China Daily that 90 percent of private cars could betaken off roads.
Environmental protection ministry vice minister Wu Xiaoqingordered officials to make worst-case plans for pollution andreport honestly on environmental quality, state media said.
But Guo Wenli, director of the Beijing MeteorologicalBureau's climate centre, told the overseas edition of thePeople's Daily that historic patterns showed recent "sauna"weather would not last throughout the two-week Games.
Cars in Beijing are already banned from roads on alternatedays under an odd-and-even licence plate system and manygovernment cars have been ordered off the roads. Taxis, busesand Olympic vehicles are exempt. Around Beijing, heavilypolluting factories, such as steel plants, have also beenclosed.
(Additional reporting by James Pomfret in Hong Kong;Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie and Paul Tait)
(For more stories visit our multimedia website "Road toBeijing" at http://www.reuters.com/news/sports/2008olympics;and see our blog at http://blogs.reuters.com/china )
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