Hanoi’s air quality has been at an acceptable level less than two days a week (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Hanoi plans to install an additional70 air monitoring stations to improve air quality, according to the municipalDepartment of Natural Resources and Environment.
Thedepartment will work with the Consultant-AirParif Agency of France to invest inthe installation of the air monitoring stations and to continue implementingthe Technical Assistance Project for Assessing the Air Environment Status inHanoi, signed between the two agencies in 2016.
Department director Nguyen Trong Dong said the department hadbeen operating 10 air monitoring stations funded by the Consultant-AirParifAgency. However, the stations did not entirely reflect the real air quality ofthe city.
Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen The Hungsaid environmental pollution remained a challenge in Hanoi.
Slow implementation of investment projects for environmentalprotection, together with low public awareness of environmental protection andunderdeveloped production technology, affected the environment’s quality, hesaid.
In addition, rapid urbanisation and massive constructionactivities across the city, together with increasing number of vehicles, alsocontributed to air pollution, he said.
Monitoring results show that many areas in the city have a highlevel of air pollution, such as Ha Dong, Hoang Mai, Cau Giay and Tu Liemdistricts. The level is particularly high at craft villages.
Results from air monitoring stations show that the concentrationof benzene at areas where these stations are located are 1.2-2.5 times higherthan the permissible level.
To help improve the city’s air quality, apart from installingmore air monitoring stations, the department will also increase supervision ofenvironmental protection activities and ask large-scale projects and productionestablishments that release waste to install automatic monitoring stations andtransmit the results to the department for examination and supervision,according to director Dong.-VNA
