Air quality in Vinh

What is the air quality index in Vinh?

Thanh pho Vinh is a notable economic and cultural centre situated in north-central Vietnam. It is a large city with a 2018 population of approximately 500, 000. It serves as the main link between Vietnam and the neighbouring countries to the east of Laos. Myanmar and Thailand, as it is strategically placed on the main arterial road network which connects the north and south of the country. Towards the end of 2020 the air quality index or AQI, recorded figures which classified it as “Unhealthy” with highs of 160 US AQI and PM2.5 measurements were recorded at 82.3 µg/m³. Currently, there are no ground monitoring stations in Vinh so these figures are gathered using satellite information.

What are the main sources of Vinh’s air pollution?

Because of its strategic position, a lot of pollution in Vinh is due to the volume of vehicles on the roads in and around the city. Because of its position on the main highway, many large trucks carry goods between Vietnam and its neighbouring countries. These are often older vehicles in a poor state of repair. As such, their emissions will not be on par with newer vehicles and therefore will be a major contributor to air pollution around Vinh.

There are also five industrial zones within 20 kilometres from Vinh city. Emissions from factories in these zones are largely unregulated.

Vinh International Airport is just 5 kilometres north of the city centre and adds to the pollution level daily.

There is also a very large seaport at Cua Lo situated just 15 kilometres from Vinh city with an annual capacity of 3 million tons. A deep seaport is to be created which will allow larger vessels to dock there.

There are over 200 hectares of agricultural land, but due to its urban development plan, the area has not been invested in for many years, so the efficiency of agricultural land is low and farmers are not interested in agricultural production. It was proposed that the city allocated funds to upgrade the irrigation system which would encourage and improve agricultural production.

A lot of pollution emanates from the domestic waste affecting Cua Nam Lake. Rotting domestic garbage produces methane gas as well as other noxious smells.

Natural activities can increase dust content at a time and in a certain space (such as cyclones, decomposition phenomena, plant and animal decay). However, air pollution caused by nature is very large in volume but often distributed in a large and fairly uniform space, making it less harmful. The sources of man-made pollution are dangerous because it is very easy to occur locally with a high concentration that harms people, organisms and material possessions in the polluted area.

Can the air quality in Vinh be improved?

On 18th November 2020, a delegation from the Provincial People's Council met local officials to discuss what can be done about the pollution in Vinh. There is an industrial zone in Dong Vinh where most businesses rent land. Smoke caused by wood preparation seems to be the worst pollutant here. It was suggested that the main perpetrators are moved elsewhere.

People are to be encouraged to use public transport, where possible and to consider using EVs if they have the opportunity. This is not as easy as it sounds because electric vehicles often initially cost more to buy and therefore are out of reach of most people. Residents can be very reluctant to give up their motorbikes which are used constantly. They are the wheels of Asia as most families have more than one.

Is has been stated that monitoring systems are to be introduced over the next five years to help evaluate the problem of pollution across the whole region. Presenting the mission of the master plan for the national environmental monitoring system for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, after many years of implementation and operation, the monitoring network of the environment has developed, meeting the increasing requirements of the State management on environmental protection.

Is Vinh’s air quality getting better or worse?

In March, the air quality in the north reflects the highest pollution of the year. This is primarily due to the climate. The General Department of Environment (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) said that Hanoi capital, as well as a number of other large cities in the north, are still at the time of recording the highest concentration of pollutants in the air which are mainly PM2.5 fine dust particulates.

Only when the weather changes due to an increase in rainfall or wind speed increases which reduces smog can the air quality be improved. Therefore, residents need to regularly monitor air quality news and use precautions when venturing outside by wearing dust masks close windows when at home.

What are the effects of breathing in the polluted air in Vinh?

Even healthy people can suffer from the effects of breathing in poor quality, polluted air. The risk is dependent on the type of pollutant you are exposed to and its concentration levels as well as your current health status. The longer you spend in a polluted atmosphere, the higher the chances of you being affected will be.

Aggravated cardiovascular and respiratory illness can develop immediately from exposure to high levels of air pollution. This adds stress to the heart and lungs because they have to work harder to obtain the amount of oxygen needed by the body. Cells within the respiratory system can easily become damaged.

Those people most susceptible to health problems caused by air pollution are people with heart disease such as coronary artery disease or cognitive heart failure. People with pre-existing lung diseases such as asthma, COPD and emphysema should take extra precautions because their respiratory system is already in a weak state.

Pregnant women and those whose jobs dictate that they work outdoors together with senior citizens and children under the age of 24 years should also take special care. People from these groups will experience the effects of poor quality air at much lower levels than strong, healthy individuals.