From October 7 to 15, Hanoi Urban Environment Company (URENCO) is conducting training exercises to operate dust-suppression mist-spraying equipment on streets within Ring Road 1, as part of efforts to control air pollution during the dry season.
URENCO said the exercises aim to improve operators’ skills, assess the equipment’s performance and practical applications, and refine plans for wider deployment.
The use of specialised mist-spraying vehicles, alongside water spraying, street washing and vacuum sweeping, is expected to help reduce airborne dust and improve urban sanitation, particularly on major roads and around construction sites.
URENCO previously proposed deploying three specialised vehicles on six roads within Ring Road 1, operating between 11 pm and 6 am.
Since late September, Thanh Cong Cooperative has also been spraying mist to suppress dust in Thanh Xuan Ward twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays.
According to Hanoi’s Department of Agriculture and Environment, air pollution in the capital is primarily associated with fine particulate matter known as PM2.5. Between 2023 and 2025, annual average PM2.5 concentrations regularly exceeded 40 micrograms per cubic metre, reaching 48.5 micrograms per cubic metre in 2025.
Pollution tends to worsen during the dry season, which typically lasts from around September to April of the following year.
Air quality monitoring data for the first nine months of 2026 showed an improvement compared with the same period a year earlier. From January 1 to September 29, 74.42 per cent of days recorded good or moderate air quality, approaching the city’s target of more than 75 per cent for the full year.
However, specialists warn that pollution episodes typically begin in October and are particularly common from November to March. This period poses a heightened risk for Hanoi, requiring stronger measures to control emissions.
The city has identified three main sources of emissions that need to be addressed: dust and exhaust from road traffic, particularly dust stirred up from road surfaces in areas with heavy traffic; dust from construction activities; and uncontrolled open burning, especially during the harvest season.
A representative of Hanoi’s Department of Agriculture and Environment said the department was strengthening coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and neighbouring provinces and cities to share information and coordinate responses to air pollution during the dry season.
The department is also advising the city on a plan to strengthen measures to control and respond to air pollution across Hanoi.