Many provinces and cities in northern Vietnam have recorded poor air quality for the third day in a row.

The Northern Center for Environmental Monitoring under the Vietnam Environment Administration reported poor air quality in multiple northern localities on Tuesday.

This was the third day in a row that such air quality had been documented in these provinces and cities.

In Long Bien District, Hanoi, the level of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) was measured at 152 on Tuesday morning.

Similarly, the PM2.5 level was 153 in Thuan Thanh District, Bac Ninh Province, 159 in Kinh Mon District, Hai Duong Province, and 198 in Thai Nguyen City, Thai Nguyen Province.

A PM2.5 reading of 151-200 is classified as bad, 201-300 is very bad, and 301-500 is harmful, according to the Northern Center for Environmental Monitoring.

Hoang Duong Tung, chairman of the Vietnam Clean Air Partnership, attributed the pollution in recent days to the burning of straw following rice harvesting in northern provinces.

In addition, other factors such as traffic, construction, and waste discharge from industrial parks and craft villages also exacerbated the situation.

In April, the Hanoi People’s Committee issued document No. 1137 highlighting measures to improve air quality in the capital city.

The environmental protection agency under the municipal Department of Natural Resources and Environment also encourage residents to limit the burning of straw and avoid cooking with charcoal to prevent air pollution.

In late 2021, the University of Engineering and Technology announced a report on Vietnam’s PM2.5 status in the 2019-20 period.

Accordingly, the average annual concentration of PM2.5 exceeded the normal limit in up to 10 provinces and cities in the country, all of which are in the northern region.

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