Air pollution has reached alarming levels in some areas of Hanoi (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – A workshop on cooperation for better air quality in Hanoi took place in the capital city on November 27, attracting nearly 200 delegates from Vietnam and abroad.
The event was co-organised by the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the German Development Cooperation Organisation (GIZ), and the Center for Learning and Living Environment and Community. It aimed at boosting dialogue and join together actions on the matter through the channels of the State, private sectors, social organisations, and development partners.
Participants discussed local air management and introduced initiatives for environmental protection and air quality improvement. They also put forth measures to help Hanoi complete its action plan in the current time and following periods.
Do Minh Khoa from the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment shared statistics from a 2018 survey, which said the capital city is home to about 8 million people, 6 million motorbikes, and 600,000 automobiles – all consuming some 40 million kWh of electricity and millions of litres of petrol and oil per day.
This, along with a boom of construction projects due to rapid urbanization, is the main source of greenhouse gases, polluting the air and massively contributing to climate change, he added.
Luu Kim Chi, deputy head of the Hanoi Environmental Protection Authority, reviewed the city’s air quality protection efforts, which included its implementation of a programme to plant 1 million trees; its control of pollution sources; and the installation of air quality monitoring stations for prompt public alerts.
Chi said the work needs strong and long-term intersectoral cooperation among authorities at different levels, research centres, civil and social organisations, and the public. –VNA
VNA
