Hanoi recommends limiting going out and adjusting school hours when pollution is severe.

Photo caption — In recent days, the streets of Hanoi are always in a state of dust.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Manh Quyen has just signed and issued an official dispatch on strengthening urgent measures to control air pollution in the area. This move was made in the context of the capital's air pollution being regularly at "red alert" levels and ranked in the top 10 in the world on December 2.

To control air pollution in the area, the Hanoi People's Committee requested the Department of Agriculture and Environment to take the lead in updating information on air quality and monitoring the VN_AQI index (Vietnam air quality index) at air monitoring stations.

Coordinate with units of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment to increase the use of monitoring systems, technological solutions and remote monitoring technical capacity (satellite remote sensing, remote sensing using unmanned aerial vehicles, traffic cameras, unmanned aircraft...) to control and strictly handle open burning activities (burning garbage, burning straw, agricultural by-products).

The Department of Construction is required to monitor and supervise investors and construction contractors to strengthen close supervision, requiring 100% of construction sites to have strict dust control measures; ensuring no dust is released into the environment. Research and pilot misting technology to reduce dust in residential areas, parks and roads...

Hanoi also assigned the Department of Health to develop propaganda documents, coordinate with media agencies, newspapers, People's Committees of wards and communes, recommend people (especially the elderly, children, people with underlying respiratory diseases) to minimize outdoor activities, exercise outdoors in the early morning and at night, and use masks when going out when VN_AQI is at high levels.

The Department of Education and Training has notified and instructed schools to limit outdoor activities for students during hours and days when air quality is at "bad" level or higher. In case of serious air pollution (VN_AQI ≥ 301), schools are instructed to suspend or adjust working and studying hours.

The Chairmen of the People's Committees of wards and communes are fully responsible for managing the air quality of dust and gas emissions. Localities proactively and promptly decide to direct environmental sanitation units to increase the frequency of street sweeping and vacuuming; use specialized vehicles to spray water to clean streets and suppress dust at main traffic routes and urban gateways.

For production, business and service establishments, Hanoi encourages considering reducing operating capacity or rescheduling production stages that generate a lot of dust/emissions (such as furnace blowing, furnace start-up, raw material grinding...) to times with more favorable weather and climate conditions.

For cement and steel factories, it is necessary to increase the use of clean raw materials and ensure quality according to the law on product quality to minimize the concentration of pollutants in exhaust gas.

Comment (0)