Ho Chi Minh City blanketed in polluted air, smog these days
Sunday, January 07, 2024, 15:50 GMT+7
People in Ho Chi Minh City have been breathing unhealthy air over the past three days due to a huge amount of dust, dirt, and smoke in the atmosphere.
A thick blanket of smog has shrouded the entire city from morning to afternoon.
Le Dinh Quyet, head of the weather forecast division under the southern hydro-meteorological station, said that the intensifying cool air in the southern coastal area, paired with an east wind turbulence and high humidity, gave rise to a layer of fog over the southern metropolis.
Smog and soot are putting the city on high alert for air pollution, said Le Thi Xuan Lan, a former official at the southern hydro-meteorological station.
"The increasing volume of vehicles on the roads and the surge in house construction and repairs in anticipation of the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday [due in February] have led to the dispersion of dust into the air," Lan explained.
"Moreover, strong winds are exacerbating the spread of pollutants, posing a threat to residents' respiratory health."
Air quality tests conducted by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Natural Resources and Environment at the end of 2023 revealed that the levels of total suspended particulate and fine particulate matter exceeded the standard safe quality indices.
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| Dwellers in Ho Chi Minh City have been breathing unhealthy air these days. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre |
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