HCM City people suffer from photochemical blindness, a kind of air pollution that’s harmful to human healt (Photo nld.com.vn)
HCM City (VNA) – People living in HCM City are suffering from
photochemical smog, a kind of air pollution that’s to human health.
is caused by the interaction of solar ultraviolet radiation,
engine exhaust emissions and industrial emissions.
It has become a frequent phenomenon in recent years, especially during the hot
and dry summer months. Photochemical smog is widespread in large cities such as
Hanoi and HCM City, posing increasingly serious risks to public health.
The Centre for Environmental and Natural Resources Monitoring in HCM City has
warned people, especially children, pregnant women and elderly, against going
out. The department has recommended the use of masks and glasses to cover the
face, especially eyes.
The phenomenon of photochemical smog is said to be cyclical, directly affecting
health and quality of life. It is attributed to high urban density and traffic
congestion. To make matter worse, HCM City residents have been inhaling
polluted air from industrial parks located in the two neighbouring provinces of
Dong Nai and Binh Duong.
Photochemical smog is a common phenomenon in traffic hot spots in HCM City
where the level of air pollution exceeds the permissible limit.
According to a report of the centre, the concentration of air pollution has
exceeded the permitted level in major traffic points in HCM City in recent
days, such as Cat Lai Port, An Suong intersection, Go Vap area, Dinh Tien Hoang
and Dien Bien Phu streets.
The most polluted area is An Suong where dust concentration has exceeded 97 percent
and noise levels have exceeded 100 percent against the permissible level. Smoke
from cars and motorcycles caught in traffic is one of the major causes of air
pollution.
Last year, HCM City had some 10 million kinds of transport vehicles, and
approximately two million vehicles were used for commuting from provinces to
cities. Non-maintenance of many old vehicles is also one of the causes of
excessive .
Ho Quoc Bang, head of air pollution and climate change office at the Vietnam National
University-HCM City’s Institute for Environment and Natural Resources, said air
pollution was a problem in the city all through the year.
The levels of air pollution exceeded regulations on synthetic dust by 1.5-2.2
times. This was affecting millions of people, but they were not aware.
The City People’s Committee has approved investment for expanding the network
of air monitoring stations from 20 to 34 and for building more such automated
stations.
A leader of the city Department of Natural Resources and Environment said to control
air pollution in the city, the department was examining the sources of exhaust
gases in industrial parks. They also proposed to the city authorities to invest
in increasing the green cover of the city.-VNA
Source: VietnamPlus
