Air Pollution in Hanoi Higher Than Permitted

Air pollution, especially on the main streets and around construction sites, in central Hanoi has exceeded permissible levels, according to a report released at a seminar on improving environment monitoring capacity in Hanoi last week. Nguyen Trong Dong, director of the Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment, told the seminar that rapid urbanization and booming construction activities have worsened air pollution in the capital. Experts from Germany said dust makes up a large proportion due to more production facilities put into operation and emissions from motorcycles whose number has been soaring in Hanoi in recent years. Hanoi chairman Nguyen Duc Chung told the seminar that the city is carrying out a slew of measures to improve the environment such as planting a million trees and building reservoirs. Besides, the city will draw up a roadmap to reduce private vehicles in the coming years. Hanoi will organize a conference next month to hear reports on environmental research results of German experts and seek solutions to improve the environment. The city has proposed them introduce modern environment monitoring devices and ways to build automatic monitoring stations. Dong said there are six air monitoring stations in Hanoi, including four managed by central agencies and the remainder under the Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment. However, only the station in Long Bien and another in Dong Da are now in operation. The city has invested in mobile air monitoring vehicles and is complete procedures to take over air monitoring points funded by the French government. Although Hanoi has invested much in environmental pollution control and treatment projects, they have moved on slowly and the city’s capacity to control waste is still weak. In addition, public awareness of environment protection remains low and backward production technologies also pollute the city’s environment. Dr. Friedhelm Schroeder, a German environment expert, said environmental monitoring in Vietnam in general and Hanoi in particular is not effective. Hanoi lacks effective automatic environment monitoring systems and modern equipment for environment monitoring. According to Hanoi’s master zoning plan until 2020, the city will have 359 air monitoring stations. The city will buy portable devices and build centers to process data from these stations, as well as enhance inspections and strictly handle polluting production facilities. Chung said Hanoi will do whatever it takes to find solutions to solve environmental issues in the coming years. Dang Hung Vo, former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, told the Daily that management agencies should quickly adopt measures to reduce pollution and prevent environmental disasters. (thesaigontimes.vn June 29)