Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Hanoi residents areworried about the bad air quality they have been experiencing in the city sincethe beginning of the year.

The latest air pollution data compiled in the 2018 World Air Quality Reportranks Hanoi as the second most polluted city in Southeast Asia, behind onlyJakarta.

Air pollution in the city became so severe at the end of January thathealth experts warned people to stay indoors.

The city’s Air Quality Index was measured at between 201 and 240 at variousmonitoring stations across the capital, while anything between 201 and 300 isconsidered very unhealthy.

Hoang Lan Anh, a resident of Tay Ho District, choked on toxic air every day asshe travelled on Vo Chi Cong Street to work.

“The dust flying from construction sites nearby is terrible,” she said. “Thestreet gets dustier after it drizzles. We all have to wear masks in order tobreathe normally.”

Do Viet Cuong, a resident of Trung Hoa-Nhan Chinh borough in southwestern Hanoi,said: “This is an area with a lot of offices and high-rise buildings, so a lotof people travel here to work on a daily basis.

“Major streets like Trung Kinh and Tran Duy Hung face traffic congestion allthe time. Especially during rush hour, toxic fumes and dust from constructionsites make the air all foggy.”

The heavy concentration of particulate PM2.5 in the city’s air has also raisedhealth alarms.

It was often measured at 300-400 micrograms per cubic metre at monitoringstations near areas with high traffic density, far exceeding the World HealthOrganisation’s safety limit of 25 micrograms.

PM2.5 refers to tiny dust particles that are about 30 times smaller than ahuman hair. They can travel deep into the lungs and the blood and causerespiratory and heart-related diseases, even cancer, according to Dr Hoang DuongTung, head of the Vietnam Environment Administration.

Mai Trong Thai, head of the Hanoi Environment Protection Department, the city’sair quality has been getting worse over the past three months due to erraticweather and pollution caused by traffic and construction.“Hanoi has beenaffected by the seasonal north-east wind, which brings dust from other areas tothe city and causes heavy concentration of fine particulate matter in the air.

“Toxic fumes from construction sites, industrial complexes and craft villagesall add to the air pollutants that are difficult to dilute.”

The weather is expected to change more drastically as a hotter summer thanprevious years has been forecast, according to data from the Ministry ofNatural Resources and Environment.

The average temperature from April to August is forecast to be 0.5-1 degreeCelsius higher than in previous years.

Intense heat might appear earlier than previous years in the northwest andcentral regions.

Thai said the city is running a comprehensive air quality improvement scheme inorder to fight air pollution.

“We are trying to fast-track a plan to plant one million trees and reduce theuse of personal vehicles,” Thai said.

“The city is also doing its best to handle construction-related waste and buildmore high-tech waste incineration plants.”-VNS/VNA