The HanoiAir system is being tested by the city’s Department of Agriculture and Environment in coordination with the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting and the University of Engineering and Technology under Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
According to a representative from the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Environment, the system forecasts air quality trends across time and locations and is designed to trigger concrete management actions, prompting agencies and local authorities to take urgent steps to curb pollution sources.
Early warnings should trigger immediate measures such as tighter dust controls at construction sites, more road washing, restrictions on material transport and limits on outdoor emissions, rather than waiting for air quality indices to worsen, he added.
Winter-spring pollution episodes often develop rapidly under unfavourable weather conditions, he noted, warning that without early forecasts, response efforts risk being reactive and less effective.
On Friday morning, the IQAir app recorded Hanoi’s air quality index at 187, ranking it the world’s fifth most polluted city at the time.
Data from the HanoiAir system showed air quality in the capital is expected to remain at moderate to poor levels over the next nine days.