Chief of the Office of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Dang Dinh (standing) speaks at the press meeting on October 1 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi is promptly taking actions toimprove air quality which has been assessed as very low for the past two weeks,according to municipal authorities.
At a press meeting on October 1, Chief of theOffice of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Dang Dinh said statistics of themunicipal Department of Naturel Resources and Environment show that sinceSeptember 13, the local air quality at many points in time of day has been “verylow”. The air is mainly polluted with fine particles PM2.5 (particles less than2.5 micrometers in diameter).
The main pollution sources include exhaust fumesfrom transport vehicles, coal and wood burning, dust from construction sitesand vehicles carrying building materials, waste burning, smoke from productionfacilities in Hanoi and nearby provinces, and impact of the change of seasons.
Local authorities also blamed the air pollutionon the poor treatment and collection of waste and wastewater, along withuntreated water pollution in some lakes.
Dinh said Hanoi has been taking prompt actionsto manage and improve the air quality such as installing more monitoringstations, controlling pollution sources, and discouraging locals from usingcoal burning stoves.
Additionally, it is also promoting the use ofvehicles to collect waste and clean dust instead of doing manually, dealingwith lake pollution, and building waste-to-energy plants.
Authorities are set to step up communications toraise public awareness of air quality, implement more tree planting programmes,and dissuade farmers from the long-standing practice of burning straw. Theywill also enhance the management of road vehicles to reduce traffic congestionand pollution, while promoting the use of public transport, the official added.
It is forecast that rains to come on October 3will help improve air quality in the city./.
VNA
