Illustrative photo
At 9 am today, some monitoring stations on the Air Visual system indicated that air pollution had reached purple level, meaning very harmful to health.
Tay Ho District saw severe pollution, with the Quang Ba, West Lake area, Vinhome riverside, and the Ciputra urban area reaching air quality indices (AQI) of 267, 292, 258, and 257 respectively.
Quang Khanh in particular reported AQI reaching brown level at 340.
Some other districts also saw air pollution reaching the purple level including Dong Anh with AQI 269, Dong Da with AQI 251, Ba Dinh with AQI 285, and Ba Vi with AQI 242.
The Health Environmental Management Department, part of the Ministry of Health, recommended that residents restrict outdoor activities when the AQI is unhealthy (between 150 to 200).
According to the National Centre for Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting, Hanoi and other northern provinces would continue to be affected by spells of dry and sunny weather, low humidity, along with a bit of fog in the mornings. Authorities identified unfavourable weather conditions as a major factor in exacerbating the pollution. The conditions limited the dispersion of pollutants, especially PM10 and fine PM2.5 particles.
Surveys at 11 locations in the city by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment have shown that transportation activities have generated between 58-74 percent of PM2.5, followed by industrial production (14-23 percent), and agricultural production (3.4-18.9 percent).
The centre said that the air pollution season for northern delta localities, particularly in Hanoi and its surrounding areas, often occurs between September and March. The pollution typically concentrates during the morning and afternoon rush hours between 6-8 am and 5-7 pm.
Local residents are advised to refrain from venturing outside unless necessary. Adults, children, pregnant women, and individuals suffering from respiratory diseases have been recommended to wear masks and glasses in the event that they go outside.
