The air quality in Hanoi has declined, especially in the inner city and near major transport routes and construction sites, the Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and the Environment said in a report which noted the rapid increase in Benzene.
Protective masks, glasses and sunscreen are necessary for every Hanoian going out in summer.
“After I read the news about dust pollution in Hanoi, I bought dozens of nano-technology protective masks for my family members to wear when going out,” said Ho Phuong Anh at No 81 Tran Cung street.
Pham Van Dong Road in Bac Tu Liem district is one of the roads most seriously attacked by the dust. The 5-kilometer long road is always engulfed in thick dust kicked up by the large number of vehicles, including trucks laden with construction materials.
Tam Trinh and Linh Nam Roads in Hoang Mai district is the ‘nightmare’ for the people who use the roads to go to work. Nguyen Thi Ai, a local resident, said that four out of five members in her family have suffered from sinusitis.
According to Hoang Duong Tung, deputy general director of the General Directorate of Environment, the biggest ‘culprits’ that kick dust are motorbikes, construction sites and garbage incinerators.
“There are 5 million motorbikes and 500,000 cars of different kinds in circulation every day. Meanwhile, 70% of motorbikes can’t meet standards on emissions,” he said.
Director of the department Nguyen Trong Dong said that the air quality in the city generally meets the medium level in both rainy and dry seasons.
However, benzene has been increasing rapidly due to the increase in the use of fossil fuel (petrol) and the increase of vehicles.
German environmental experts, who carried out a research project in Vietnam, said that dust accounts for a large proportion of pollutants in Hanoi. This is blamed on the increase of factories, vehicles and the equipment creating emissions to the atmosphere.
They noted that the number of motorbikes in Vietnam in general and in Hanoi in particular has been increasing rapidly.
There are six fixed air monitoring stations in Hanoi, four of which are controlled by central agencies and the other two by local environment departments. However, only two of them, one in Long Bien district and the other in Dong Da, are still operational.
Hanoi has spent money on mobile air monitoring vehicles and automatic waste water monitoring stations, while it is following necessary procedures to receive 20 automatic air monitoring stations funded by the French Government.
Source: VOV