The latest observation result of air quality on roads by the HCM City Environmental Protection Bureau shows that air pollution caused by dust and noise in HCM City is becoming alarmingly high.

Pollution parameters are rising partly due to the overloaded transport infrastructure, construction activities on the road in the dry season, and the sound of horns and engines.

Five parameters are periodically measured at the roundabouts of Hang Xanh and Dinh Tien Hoang – Dien Bien Phu in District 1, Phu Lam in District 6, An Suong, Nga Sau in Go Vap district, and Nguyen Van Linh – Huynh Tan Phat in District 7.

According to the latest data, air pollution at these roundabouts is very heavy, particularly with dust pollution.

Dust and noise pollution is increasing. For instance, the dust concentration at Huynh Tan Phat – Nguyen Van Linh T-junction in January 2009 was between 1.03-1.23 times more than the threshold but in February, it was 2.47 folds more than standards. At An Suong intersection, dust pollution sometimes reached 1.44mg/cu.m or 4.8 times more than standard.

Meanwhile, noise, lead, CO and CO2 pollution is also on the rise. The lead concentration measured at observation stations so far this year is between 0,22-0,38µg/m3, nearly 1.5 times higher than the level in late 2008.

At Dien Bien Phu – Dinh Tien Hoang intersection, the NO2 concentration is 1.7 times more than the permitted level.

According to the HCM City Environmental Protection Bureau, pollution parameters are rising partly due to the overloaded transport infrastructure, construction activities on the road in the dry season, and the sound of horns and engines.

Notably, super-small sized dust is a danger for HCM City people’s health. Measurements show that this kind of dust accounts for 50% of the total dust volume, which can cause breathing diseases.

According to statistics, in the last ten years, the number of patients of diseases which are related to air pollution increased strongly, such as respiratory diseases like asthma.

VietNamNet/TP