Hanoi to install additional 70 air monitoring stations
Hanoi plans to install an additional 70 air monitoring stations to improve air quality, according to the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
Department director Nguyen Trong Dong said the department had been operating 10 air monitoring stations funded by the Consultant-AirParif Agency. However, the stations did not entirely reflect the real air quality of the city.
Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen The Hung said environmental pollution remained a challenge in Hanoi.
Slow implementation of investment projects for environmental protection, together with low public awareness of environmental protection and underdeveloped production technology, affected the environment’s quality, he said.
In addition, rapid urbanisation and massive construction activities across the city, together with increasing number of vehicles, also contributed to air pollution, he said.
Monitoring results show that many areas in the city have a high level of air pollution, such as Ha Dong, Hoang Mai, Cau Giay and Tu Liem districts. The level is particularly high at craft villages.
Results from air monitoring stations show that the concentration of benzene at areas where these stations are located are 1.2-2.5 times higher than the permissible level.
To help improve the city’s air quality, apart from installing more air monitoring stations, the department will also increase supervision of environmental protection activities and ask large-scale projects and production establishments that release waste to install automatic monitoring stations and transmit the results to the department for examination and supervision, according to director Dong.