HCM City,Can Tho, and several provinces have conducted studies on emissions inventories,calculating the impact of air pollution on human health, as well as emissionszoning and air quality modelling, to better manage the local air environment,he said.
Anemissions inventory released by the city of Can Tho last year revealed that 50percent of local dust emissions came from cement, brick, and paper production,and 30 percent from the burning of straw. Motorcycles were responsible for 46percent of the emission of non-methane volatile organic compounds (VMVOCs),while 29 percent came from the textile-garment industry. Carbon monoxide (CO)emissions were mainly produced by motorbikes and straw burning.
Densely-populatedHCM City, meanwhile, is in a similar situation, with 37.7 percent of dustemissions originating from motorbikes and other vehicles and 11.4 percent from households.
To assessthe impact of air pollution on human health, scientists have developedscenarios on the number of deaths from lung cancer after exposure to fine dust(PM2.5) and air pollutants, and integrated them into renewable energydevelopment policies. Air pollution causes an estimated 8.8 million deathsglobally each year.
Through suchstudies, solutions and actions have been proposed to help Can Tho improve its airquality. The city has been advised to better control and reduce emissions from vehiclesby setting up working groups on vehicle inspections and requiring emissions testingon all motorbikes.
Othermeasures include expanding public transport networks and sustainably developingurban transport, with improved pedestrian infrastructure and a trial system ofbicycle sharing, installing and evaluating air quality monitoring technology atfactories, and identifying technological solutions for reducing emissions fromtextile, paper, and metalworking plants.
Bang called for greater cooperation and exchanges for the studies toreach more southern cities and provinces and the nation at large. Policymakersalso need to issue guidelines for localities on formulating and implementingClean Air Plans, a set of indexes measuring emissions from industry andtransport, and a guidebook on emissions inventories in Vietnam, he added./.