Solutions to air pollution: How Vietnam capital city of Hanoi will improve air quality

Hanoi’s authorities are taking a series of solutions to reduce the impacts of pollution on local lives. The city’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment has installed 34 air monitoring stations and one mobile station at the Nam Son waste treatment complex.

Six water surface monitoring stations have also been installed to supervise the quality of wastewater and air in industrial areas. According to the department, the results from the monitoring stations show that the air quality differs between monitoring areas. In rural areas and craft villages, the air quality with good and average rates accounts for 98.6% and 99%, respectively.

In urban and suburban areas, the air quality with good and average rates accounts for 80.9% and 99.5%, respectively. The air quality monitored at roadside stations, or what is called air quality from traffic, is worse than air quality in residential areas.

The city’s authorities have urged the authorities of Ha Dong District to strengthen measures to control the burning of straw, crop by-products, and other wastes. The rate of burning straw in the field in 2021 has decreased to about 23.4% compared to 39% in 2017. More than 99% of honeycomb charcoal stoves and hundreds of manual brick kilns have been removed. During the 2020-21 period, the city’s traffic inspectors imposed fines on more than 47,400 vehicles with violations in the environment and hygiene.

Despite positive results, the city’s authorities have acknowledged that, in the face of unpredictable changes in climate and urbanisation, as well as the implementation of legal policies on environmental protection, Hanoi still has shortcomings. The capital city urgently needs the cooperation of social organisations and development partners to promote joint actions on improving air quality and protecting public health.

At a recent seminar with the theme “Air quality management for Hanoi – From commitment to action”, experts said that the city needs the coordination of neighbouring provinces under the leadership of Hanoi’s authorities to absolutely address pollution. The World Bank is ready to strengthen its commitments to support Hanoi to solve environmental problems and build a green, clean, and beautiful city.

The air quality of northern localities, including Hanoi, has recently reached alarming levels. In early March, according to PAM Air – the first and only independent air environment monitoring network in Vietnam covering all 63 provinces and cities – five areas in the north recorded air quality at hazardous levels, including three in Hanoi. On April 5, two locations in Vietnam reported air quality at hazardous levels, including Co Dong Commune, Son Tay Town, Hanoi.

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