Hanoi must reduce PM2.5 dust concentration by 20%, air quality in Ho Chi Minh City 'under control'.

TPO - The National Assembly has requested the immediate implementation of urgent measures to control, prevent, and remedy air pollution in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. By 2030, the average annual PM2.5 concentration in Hanoi is expected to decrease by approximately 20%; air quality in Ho Chi Minh City and other cities nationwide will be controlled.

Air pollution remains at a serious level.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man has just signed and promulgated a Resolution of the National Assembly on continuing to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of implementing policies and laws on environmental protection.

Besides the achievements, the resolution passed by the National Assembly at its 10th session clearly states that the implementation of the Law on Environmental Protection still has some limitations and shortcomings. In particular, environmental pollution still occurs in some areas, sometimes at a serious level, especially air pollution (due to fine dust) in major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Implement urgent measures to prevent air pollution immediately.

In addition, the environmental quality of some river sections concentrated in densely populated areas, production and business establishments, service areas, and craft villages in the Cau River basin, Nhue-Day River basin, and the Bac Hung Hai irrigation system has been slow to improve; only about 18% of the total urban wastewater is collected and treated.

Meanwhile, 38 out of 435 seriously polluting facilities have yet to complete the remediation process, mainly landfills. In some localities, medical facilities face difficulties in collecting, transporting, and treating hazardous medical solid waste…

In the coming period, the National Assembly will require the executive branch to abandon the view that "environmental protection will hinder economic growth." It will promote a circular economy model, treating waste as a resource and managing it digitally.

The National Assembly emphasized the strict application of the principle that those who benefit from the environment have an obligation to contribute financially to environmental protection activities; those who cause pollution, incidents, and environmental degradation must pay for, compensate for, and remedy the damage.

At the same time, it is necessary to properly and adequately allocate, effectively manage, and gradually increase budget spending on environmental protection in accordance with the rate of economic growth, ensuring that from 2027 onwards, the proportion of budget spending on environmental protection in the total state budget expenditure increases compared to 2025.

PM2.5 dust concentrations in Hanoi have decreased by 20%.

The National Assembly's resolution also requires a review and evaluation of the implementation of the 2020 Environmental Protection Law and proposals for amendments and additions, to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval at the beginning of the 16th National Assembly term. In 2026, it calls for a review, amendment, and supplementation of relevant legal provisions concerning environmental protection taxes and fees.

In addition, it is necessary to promptly issue and effectively implement the national action plan on pollution remediation and air quality management for the period 2025-2030, with a vision to 2045; and at the same time, immediately implement urgent measures to control, prevent, and remedy and improve the air pollution situation in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City .

The goal for 2030 and beyond is to prevent, control, and mitigate pollution risks and environmental incidents early and from afar. Therefore, it is necessary to proactively relocate polluting production facilities in industrial clusters and craft villages, especially those interspersed with residential areas, to appropriately planned locations.

In addition, strictly control emissions from road motor vehicles; limit the number of vehicles that cause air pollution in large cities according to environmental zoning; and take measures to remove substandard motor vehicles that cause environmental pollution.

The National Assembly has set a target to strive for a 20% reduction in the average annual PM2.5 concentration in Hanoi by 2030 compared to the 2024 average, while maintaining other air quality parameters to meet national environmental technical standards.

In the provinces and cities surrounding Hanoi (including Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Hai Phong, and Ninh Binh), the average annual PM2.5 concentration will decrease by at least 10% compared to the 2024 average; in Ho Chi Minh City and other urban areas nationwide, air quality will be maintained under control, preventing an increase in pollution levels.

Luan Dung

Source: https://tienphong.vn/ha-noi-phai-giam-20-nong-do-bui-pm25-chat-luong-khong-khi-tai-tphcm-duoc-kiem-soat-post1805258.tpo