Choking
smog makes Hanoi's pollution 'very unhealthy'
Air
pollution in Hanoi reportedly reached dangerous levels on October 5, raising
concerns.
Air
pollution in Hanoi reached dangerous levels on October 5 morning, when it was
ranked the second most polluted among cities monitored under a global
air quality study.
The Real-time Air Quality Index on
aqicn.org in the morning ranked pollution in the capital as “very unhealthy”,
an emergency level to warn everyone, especially children, to limit outdoor
activities.
Aqicn.org
uses data collected from the Vietnam Center for Environment Monitoring under
the Environment Ministry, the United Nations International School of Hanoi
and the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi.
The
global index is mainly based in Beijing and uses measurements provided by the
U.S. diplomatic mission in China and environmental agencies worldwide to
measure air pollution in 60 countries.
On
October 5 morning, the index in Hanoi reached an alarming 245, the second
highest of all cities recorded the same morning. The air pollution index hit
471 in Ardali Bazar, India, 176 in Chengdu, China, and 152 in Beijing.
The
capital’s air quality is forecast to deteriorate and hit 250 on October 7
morning.
Hanoi’s
suffocating air has persisted for decades as has repeatedly been classified
as unhealthy and at times “hazardous”, which means everyone should avoid
outdoor exertion.
A
study conducted by the ministry between 2011 and 2015 found that air quality
in the city is getting worse in many urban areas, with levels of poisonous
nitrogen oxide and fine dirt, which can cause severe respiratory problems and
lung cancer, exceeding safe levels.
Jacques
Moussafir, director of French company ARIA Technologies, which specializes in
pollutant dispersion and air quality, said in 2012 Hanoi’s pollution was as
bad as New Delhi and Karachi, two of the 10 most polluted cities in the
world.
He
warned that the number of people suffering from severe respiratory and mental
health damage from air pollution would double in 2020 if nothing is done to
fix the problem.
Little
has been done, especially with the traffic problem. The city has 5.5 million
vehicles including more than 4.9 million motorbikes, equivalent to 70 cars
and nearly 700 motorbikes for every one kilometer of road.
Officials
said road works and industrial operations that pay little regard to the
environment have also worsened the situation.
VNexpress
|
Thứ Năm, 6 tháng 10, 2016
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