The streets of Vietnam's capital, Hanoi, were enveloped in a dense smog on Monday that dramatically reduced visibility due to air pollution caused by high levels of particles from vehicle emissions and fine dust associated with the construction industry, reports Reuters, cited by Agerpres .
Motor vehicle emissions are responsible for much of the pollution. PHOTO Shutterstock
The level of dangerous tiny particles – known as PM2.5 – in Hanoi's air was 186 micrograms per cubic meter at the end of Monday, the highest level on a list of the world's most polluted cities, according to data provided by AirVisual, which provides independent information on global air pollution through an application for mobile phones.
“This is bad for our health. I think the pollution in Hanoi is caused by the large number of personal vehicles and the fine dust from all the construction, plus this cold weather” said Duong Kim Oanh, a 58-year-old Hanoi resident.
A 2021 World Bank report shows that emissions from the eight million registered vehicles in Hanoi accounted for 30 percent of particulate pollution, and emissions from industry another 30 percent.
“It will affect people's respiratory system, making people feel sick or even suffocate.”says Pham Thi Phuong, another resident of Hanoi, about pollution.
Air travel postponed
Approx. 100 flights to and from Hanoi International Airport were delayed or diverted to other cities on February 2 due to dense fog and worsening air pollution.
The live ranking published on Monday by the AirVisual application shows that the top 10 most polluted cities in the world are: Hanoi (Vietnam), Tehran (Iran), Chengdu (China), Krakow (Poland), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Accra (Ghana ), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Hangzhou (China), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) and Chongqing (China).
Bucharest, in 35th place
The capital of Romania ranks 35th in this ranking, with an index of 75, which corresponds to moderate air pollution.
The city of Bucharest is ahead in this list of several European cities with a higher pollution index, such as Berlin (Germany, 11th place), Wroclaw (Poland, 20th place), Istanbul (Turkey, 24th place), Prague (Czech Republic, 27), Brussels (Belgium, 31st place) and Warsaw (Poland, 32nd place), but it is in front of other cities on the European continent that are less polluted, such as Budapest (Hungary, 42nd place), Kiev (Ukraine, the 48) and Sofia (Bulgaria, 50th place).
