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| Workers at Dong Vinh waste-treatment plant in the central province of Nghe An’s Vinh City. — VNA/VNS Photo Lan Xuan |
HA NOI — A national report on urban environmental conditions released yesterday shows that traffic activities caused the largest proportion of air pollution in urban areas in Viet Nam, which amounted to 70 per cent.
The 2007 National State of Environment Report of Viet Nam, which was made public in Ha Noi yesterday, indicates that the rapid increase in means of transportation, poor quality of vehicles and fuel, and poor infrastructure have led to traffic activities putting huge pressure on urban air quality in the country.
The report shows that the number of automobiles and motorbikes in Viet Nam annually increases by 15 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively, with the majority of vehicles being used in urban areas. In Ha Noi, there were over 1.8 million registered motorbikes by June 2007, and the figure is estimated to surpass 2.7 million by 2010.
Motorbikes, the most popular means of transportation in urban areas, release harmful emissions such as carbon monoxide, mono-nitrogen oxides and dust.
Up to 98 per cent of households in HCM City own motorbikes, while the vehicle accounts for more than 87 per cent of transportation circulating within Ha Noi.
Other key sources of air pollution in urban areas include climate change, economic growth which strained natural resources, and socio-economic activities such as industrial production, construction and daily activities, according to the report.
It is estimated that the amount of dust from construction activities in HCM City reaches approximately 13,000 tonnes per year. Meanwhile, construction activities are responsible for 70 per cent of all the dust in Ha Noi.
The report also indicates that dust pollution is the biggest environmental problem in urban atmospheres, particularly in overloaded traffic areas and construction sites.
In general, the levels of harmful emissions in urban areas still meet permissible standards, although it peaks in certain areas and at particular times, according to the report.
The report also says that noise pollution has increased along traffic routes and the level of air pollution in cities changes over time.
The report lists the negative impacts of air pollution, particularly on the community’s health. The report indicates that air pollution was the major cause of respiratory diseases such as pneumonia, asthma, tuberculosis and allergies.
The rate of respiratory patients living near industrial zones was much higher than in rural areas. Research conducted in Hai Phong shows that the proportion of respiratory diseases in polluted areas was 1.91-7.6 times higher than in non-polluted areas.
Air pollution also caused an increase in health check-up costs, a reduction in labour productivity, hurt tourism activities and led to climate change, according to the report.
Viet Nam has made great efforts to reduce air pollution over the past few years and achieved positive results, including wiping out leaded gasoline, controlling dust in construction sites and traffic, banning unqualified vehicles and issuing standards on air quality.
The country will also focus on finalising policies to protect the atmosphere in urban areas, building air quality management plans, increasing research and training activities on air quality, encouraging the participation of the whole community in this task and actively implementing programmes to improve air quality in urban areas.
“The report aims to assess the status of the problem, provide the groundwork for considering the interrelationship between socio-economic development and environment, to adjust the development plan and to ensure the country’s sustainable development,” said the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Pham Khoi Nguyen.
“The report was developed in line with the Law on Environmental Protection with a model proposed by the United Nations Environmental Programme which has been applied by many countries in developing their environmental reports,” he said. —
