Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha stated four urgent solutions to improve air quality in Vietnam's two big cities at a meeting with the People's Committees of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and some government bodies on December 19, VnExpress reported.

First, development of the air quality monitoring system. The minister said that Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City's governments have the responsibility to maintain and enlarge the air monitoring network. "We must ensure a sufficient number of monitoring stations to have accurate information on air quality which is provided twice a day for the public," Ha said.

Minister Tran Hong Ha speaks at the meeting. Photo: Gia Chinh

He stressed that when air pollution is at the hazardous levels, the local governments must immediately warn its residents, along with recommendations for health protection measures. "In such a situation, if necessary, children need to be kept indoors. When going out, people should use standard masks to ensure safety," Ha added.

The minister proposed, as the second solution, that on the days with air pollution, the municipal People's Committees need to wash roads, enforce traffic regulation in some streets of high traffic.

"The police need to divert all private vehicles from high traffic density roads and reduce sources of dust and noise. Besides, trucks entering Hanoi city must be fully covered and washed," Minister Ha said.

Third, Ha said the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will coordinate with the Ministry of Construction to issue regulations on environmental protection in construction works. Accordingly, all the projects must follow specific instructions on where to put construction materials, how to dispose waste, and how to shield the works".

The fourth solution relates to people's daily habits. Minister Ha asked the People's Committees of provinces around Hanoi to take measures to support people not to burn straw after harvesting.

The municipal governments need to ban the incineration of waste and rice straw and coal by 2021, Ha stressed.

He added that in the long term, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will continue to improve related policies and laws. The Law on Environmental Protection will consider restructuring some industries that use fossil fuel, causing air pollution.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will also coordinate with major cities to accelerate the roadmap of vehicles emission reduction. "Motorbikes and cars in big cities must have higher standards than those in other localities," Ha said and added that residents of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City should take the lead in environmentally friendly public transport.

Hanoi’s and Ho Chi Minh City’s alarming pollution has been making headlines since September. Since the beginning of the year, Hanoi has experienced six prolonged air pollution periods (on average from 5 to 10 days each), in which air quality was recorded at unhealthy levels.