Air pollution - silent killer

Along with Hanoi, HCM City is on the list of 10 air polluting cities in Asia and the world, according to a World Bank study.

The issue of dirt and air pollution is becoming more urgent than ever, but the level of public interest, as many environmental experts say, remains  "below average".

Lesson 1: Copies of Bangkok

90% of air samples are not up to standard, always high risk for health, in which the amount of suspended dust is the leading factor causing serious pollution in the area. The concentration of dust, ozone, nitrogen, sulfur ... increased from 1 to nearly 3 times.

Assessing the current level of air pollution in Ho Chi Minh City, Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Dinh Tuan, Rector of College of Resources and Environment, who has studied the air quality for nearly 10 years. City is a Bangkok (Thailand) of 20 years ago.

All indexes are rising. "

Once upon a time, air in Bangkok was filled with dust, lead and toxic chemicals. The sky is filled with black smoke from the car's chimney, motorbike. Now all the pictures are moving to Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. We are the mirror of Bangkok in the early 90s, Tuan compared.

Throughout the study, the source of air pollution has not been strictly controlled, leading to a steady increase in the number of discharges due to the massive increase in motorbikes and the increasing number of motorized vehicles. Industrial production base. In terms of quality, most emissions are not controlled to meet emission standards: 100% of motorcycles are not controlled, only about 15% of industrial facilities emit no pollutants. The gas has installed the exhaust gas treatment system.

Increased mobility is one of the causes of air pollution.

The results of Tuan's research are also in line with the results of recent meteorological measurements conducted by the Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Ho Chi Minh City. Specifically, 90% of air samples are not up to standard, always high level for health, in which the amount of suspended dust is the leading factor causing serious pollution in the area.

Concentrations of dusts, ozone, nitrogen, sulfur ... increased 1 to 3 times compared with the same period in 2010. Other indicators such as lead, benzene, noise on many roads have set up monitoring equipment on The city is also showing signs of improvement compared to a year ago. Of which, alarmingly, lead content increased by 2.2 times, benzene concentration increased 1.4 times at all 8 observation stations - scattered in residential areas.

In addition, concentrations of NO ₂  measured at monitoring stations also showed that the index also exceeds the permitted standard (usually fluctuating from 0.19 to 0.34 mg / m³) and is showing signs of increased The frequency of the measure exceeds the standard of 68%.

Main culprit: traffic and industry

According to Prof. Dr. Le Huy Ba, Director of Institute of Science, Technology and Environmental Management - Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry, nowadays, there are over 5 million vehicles circulating in HCM City everyday. Mainly along the main roads of the 500km² inner city area has made the concentration of air pollution even more serious.

"Traffic jams often, constantly, also increase the level of pollution. Emissions are low, concentrated in a densely populated area. This is not to mention the condition of rock falling from the truck, the construction of road construction materials and rocky roads filled with two roads washed by the rain down the road also causes smoke The dust is more severe , "Ba said.

For a while, the leaves around the Le Minh Xuan Industrial Park (Binh Chanh District) were all changed to white and many areas of leaves were yellowed dry or red, causing local people to be confused. Explaining the problem, Prof. Dr. Le Huy Ba said that it is affected by dust, smoke from factories, lime kiln, brick ... of industrial zone.

The toxic gas CO ₂ , H ₂ S, CO poisoning often dry yellow leaves.  "The city still has many industrial and handicraft production establishments, many of which have not yet equipped with exhaust and smoke treatment systems. The quality of life of the country's largest urban dwellers has declined considerably.

If we continue like that, in 10 years, we are afraid that we want to save the atmosphere is too late, " Ba emphasized.

According to Dat Viet