Petrotimes.vn cited a report from IQAir AirVisual as showing that Hanoi ranked 12th among the 62 most polluted cities globally in 2018.

Meanwhile, according to WHO, in 2017, Hanoi had clean air on 38 days with PM2.5 concentration at 45.8 µg/m3. The situation improved in 2018 with 40.8 µg/m3.

However, the air quality index (AQI) measured at 10 monitoring stations in Hanoi is often at the red alarm level, i.e. dangerous to human health. The concentration of PM2.5, considered the most harmful air pollution agent, is between 40-80 µg/m3.

Analyses found that besides influences from emission sources, the air quality also bears impact from meteorological conditions. The AQI is good in favorable weather conditions and bad during unfavorable weather.

The most polluted spots in Hanoi are places with high traffic density. At Trung Yen 3 and Minh Khai monitoring stations, the number of days with good AQI is low, just accounting for 8.1 percent.

“The AQI is at ‘average’ level from 2017 to 2019,” said Mai Trong Thai from the Hanoi Environment Protection Sub-department.

He said the air quality in 2018 had some improvement compared with 2017, but has decreased since the beginning of 2019. Unfavorable meteorological conditions, plus emissions from transport, construction, industrial production, IZs and craft villages are the major factors behind the AQI decrease. The air in Hanoi has been contaminated with pollutants.

Regarding measures to improveair quality, Dinh mentioned the program on planting 1 million trees. The municipal authorities have vowed to speed up the establishment of dumping grounds for construction waste and incinerators utilizing modern technologies.

Hanoi has treated the pollution and improved the water quality of 86 lakes in the inner city with Redoxy-3C. The water of the West and Hoan Kiem Lakes has also been upgraded, while To Lich River has been cleaned.

Dinh, at a press conference held recently, denied that Hanoi is one of the two most polluted cities in Southeast Asia, saying that there is no reliable proof to come to this conclusion. 

The comment that Hanoi is one of the two most polluted cities in Southeast Asia came from the statistics from the monitoring station located at the US Embassy in Hanoi. 

The monitoring system Hanoi used in accordance with UN standards doesn’t show this.

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