Smoke exhaled from a plant in Tan Binh district, HCM City (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Alarming pollution readings were recorded in thecapital of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in the previous year, heard a conferencejointly held by the Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID) and the VietnamLive and Learn Centre for Environment and Community in Hanoi on January 30.
Research from the GreenID showed that Air Quality Index, calculated based onthe PM2.5 annual mean concentration, in Vietnam’s two largest cities exceededthe safe limit set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) many times.Especially, air pollution was rapidly deteriorating at the end of the year aslow temperature resulted in slow distribution of dust and pollutants.
Analysis in November and December 2017 stated that the air pollution in Hanoiwas sourced from heavy industries like steel works, cement factories and coalpower plants in Quang Ninh province. Meanwhile, smog blanked most parts of thesouthern hub of HCM City due to pollution from transportation, power plants andindustrial parks in the city.
Nguyen Thi Anh Thu, a representative from the GreenID, said that last year,Hanoi had 257 days and HCM City had 222 days when the Air Quality Indexexceeded the safe limit set by the WHO. Statistics from the US Embassy revealedthat the atmospheric quality in the two cities was much lower than India’s NewDelhi and Mumbai. However, the pollution levels in Hanoi and HCM City arealmost equal to that in China’s smog-prone capital, Beijing.
Alisa from US Embassy in Hanoi said that labourers have the right to know howthe environment in working places and residential areas affect their health,thus, the US Government installed monitoring stations to publicise the air qualityindex. The American nation adopted the Clean Air Act in 2017, she noted.
Recommendations given at the conference included using cleaner and moreeffective fuels, planting trees, keeping children away from smokes and settingup early warning systems for residents in areas prone to severe air pollution.
Dr. Hoang Duong Tung, former Deputy Director of the Vietnam EnvironmentAdministration, said that authorities should keep tight control on emissionsfrom four sectors, namely coal-fueled thermoelectricity, cement, steel andchemicals, as they contribute 80 percent of the total gas emissions, andpublicise information on air monitoring statistics.
Relevant agencies should deploy measures to control emissions from motorbikes andmonitor construction projects in Hanoi and HCM City, he added.-VNA
Research from the GreenID showed that Air Quality Index, calculated based onthe PM2.5 annual mean concentration, in Vietnam’s two largest cities exceededthe safe limit set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) many times.Especially, air pollution was rapidly deteriorating at the end of the year aslow temperature resulted in slow distribution of dust and pollutants.
Analysis in November and December 2017 stated that the air pollution in Hanoiwas sourced from heavy industries like steel works, cement factories and coalpower plants in Quang Ninh province. Meanwhile, smog blanked most parts of thesouthern hub of HCM City due to pollution from transportation, power plants andindustrial parks in the city.
Nguyen Thi Anh Thu, a representative from the GreenID, said that last year,Hanoi had 257 days and HCM City had 222 days when the Air Quality Indexexceeded the safe limit set by the WHO. Statistics from the US Embassy revealedthat the atmospheric quality in the two cities was much lower than India’s NewDelhi and Mumbai. However, the pollution levels in Hanoi and HCM City arealmost equal to that in China’s smog-prone capital, Beijing.
Alisa from US Embassy in Hanoi said that labourers have the right to know howthe environment in working places and residential areas affect their health,thus, the US Government installed monitoring stations to publicise the air qualityindex. The American nation adopted the Clean Air Act in 2017, she noted.
Recommendations given at the conference included using cleaner and moreeffective fuels, planting trees, keeping children away from smokes and settingup early warning systems for residents in areas prone to severe air pollution.
Dr. Hoang Duong Tung, former Deputy Director of the Vietnam EnvironmentAdministration, said that authorities should keep tight control on emissionsfrom four sectors, namely coal-fueled thermoelectricity, cement, steel andchemicals, as they contribute 80 percent of the total gas emissions, andpublicise information on air monitoring statistics.
Relevant agencies should deploy measures to control emissions from motorbikes andmonitor construction projects in Hanoi and HCM City, he added.-VNA
VNA
