Air pollution has reached alarming levels in some areas of Hanoi (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Office of the NationalAssembly (NA) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany co-organised aworkshop in Hanoi on April 25 to seek solutions to air pollution.
The event was designed to provide more information forNA deputies while debating the country’s socio-economic development and makingimportant decisions related to the environmental and climate change.
Deputy Head of the NA Office Do Manh Hung, who chairedthe event, reiterated the World Health Organisation’s warnings about Vietnam’sair pollution compared with Asian and Pacific nations, saying that Vietnam hasmore than a half of the days in a year with poor air conditions.
Studies conducted by the Institute of Strategy and Policy on NaturalResources and Environment (ISPONRE) under the Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment, showed that air pollution is mainly caused bytransport, industrial production, construction, daily activities, agriculture,trade village and waste treatment.
According to the Ministry of Health, Vietnam hasrecorded the highest increase of respiratory diseases, largely caused by airpollution. Air pollution is also a major cause of global issues, includingozone layer depletion, atmosphere warming, and acid accumulation.
Nguyen Van Thuy, Director of the Centre forEnvironmental Monitoring under the General Department of Environment, saidHanoi and Ho Chi Minh City’s air is the most polluted due to socio-economicdevelopment activities. Other industrial provinces, such as Quang Ninh, ThaiNguyen and Dong Nai are suffering from air pollution.
ISPONRE Deputy Director Nguyen Trung Thang suggestedthat relevant legal documents should be revised in line with the reality,particularly in urban areas, industrial zones, and trade villages.
Management should be tightened in the sectors that arelikely to cause air pollution, such as transport, construction, trade villages,and waste treatment, Thang said, adding that mechanisms are needed to reducegas emissions while offering incentives for technological application to reduceair pollution.
Participants urged for the prompt promulgation of alaw to control air pollution with specific regulations and ensure enforcementof the law, specifying responsibilities and obligations of stakeholders,particularly state management agencies.
Communication campaigns should be promoted to raisethe awareness of impacts of air pollution among people and enterprises, thusenhancing environmental protection, they noted.-VNA
VNA
