Sixty percent of readings from the latest tests of air quality in Hanoi’s streets exceed the regulated levels for health and safety, the Hanoi People’s Council said.

The concentration of dust in many streets is estimated to average 0.5 mg per cubic meter, as against the recommended upper limit of 0.3.

One of the reasons for the poor air quality is the city’s failure to assign enough land for proper roads, experts from the Hanoi Department of Natural Resources and Environment said.

Less than 7 percent of the city’s land is given over to transport, while the proportion in developed nations is 20-25 percent.

Moreover, with 580 intersections and a traffic flow intensity of 1,800 to 3,600 vehicles per hour, the capital is facing problems like narrow streets and dirty emissions from vehicles running below their design capacity, according to the experts.

Last month, experts and officials warned about the worsening air pollution in Ho Chi Minh City, where the dust concentration ranges from 0.37-0.68 milligrams per cubic meter, or 1.5-2.5 times higher than the level deemed safe.

Source: SGGP