A green corner of the Hoan Kiem lake in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - The first week of July witnessed an improvement in Hanoi’sair quality, according to the city’s Environment Protection Authority under theDepartment of Natural Resources and Environment.
The air quality measured at monitoring stations around the city reached levelsof ‘good’ and ‘average’. Significantly, the number of days with ‘good’ air qualityrose in comparison with the previous week.
Mai Trong Thai, the authority head, told Ha Noi Moi (New Hanoi)newspaper that the measured air quality index (AQI) fluctuated between 40 to 94points which were equivalent to ‘average’ and ‘good’ levels. There was no daywith air quality dropping to ‘bad’ level.
Urban air monitoring stations of Trung Yen in Cau Giay district, Kim Lien in DongDa district, My Dinh in Nam Tu Liem district and Tan Mai in Hoang Mai districtshowed increases in good air quality days, accounting for 100 percent, 71.4 percent,71.4 percent, 57.1 percent and 42.9 percent respectively.
No monitoring indicator exceeds the Vietnamese standard.
At urban traffic site air monitoring stations on Hang Dau street, Hoan Kiem andThanh Cong areas, the AQI remained at the average level. Hoan Kiem airmonitoring station, however, acknowledged one day with AQI at a good level onJuly 5.
Meanwhile, the records by two air monitoring stations in Minh Khai ward, Hai BaTrung district and on Pham Van Dong street in Bac Tu Liem district showed thatduring last week, air quality stayed at the average level under the pressure ofhigh traffic.
The highest AQI tracked in these areas were 94 and 78 respectively, with thehighest daily concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) of 44.7µg/m3and 40.29µg/m3 respectively, below the Vietnamese air standard of50µg/m3.
According to experts, rain over the next few days will also help to improve airquality in Hanoi after a week-long hot spell.-VNS/VNA
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