Vung Tau air quality map

What information can be gleaned from the air quality map for Vung Tau?

When the air quality map for Vung Tau is first opened from the main city page, the viewer will see an overall green hue to the map. This indicates “Good” air quality. The meaning of the different colours is explained in the legend at the foot of the screen. The colours range from pale green for good air quality through yellow, orange and red to purple and maroon which would be hazardous air quality.

Usually, the viewer would also see some coloured discs which mark the position of ground monitoring stations. In Vung Tau all the information with regards to air quality is based on information obtained by overhead satellites. The other piece of information on the map is the position of a fire which is burning just 27 kilometres away. When the map is studied more closely, it can be seen that the wind direction will carry the smoke from this fire away from the city so it will not pose any health threats.

When viewed in full-screen mode, a table of World Ranking cities can be seen on the right-hand side of the screen. This can be useful when making comparisons between cities.

On the left-hand side of the screen can be seen information showing the position of the ground air monitors, the location of any fires in the vicinity, the overall air quality and the direction of the wind.

Does the air quality map for Vung Tau reveal any other information?

The air pollution map for Vung Tau is reached through the main city page where a wealth of information is to be found. Ideally, the two pages should be consulted together to obtain most of the information available.

From the opening city page, it can be seen that the current air quality in Vung Tau in the second quarter of 2022, is classified as being “Moderate” with a US AQI reading of 80. This is an internationally recognised set of metrics which can be used when comparing air quality in cities throughout the world. It is endorsed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) who recommend a target figure of 5 µg/m³ or less for the main pollutant PM2.5. In Vung Tau, this level was 26.2 µg/m³ which is over five times the recommended level. There follows some advice as to how best protect yourself from the polluted air. This includes closing doors and windows to prevent the ingress of dirty air. It is also suggested that those of a sensitive disposition should limit their exposure outdoors.

Scrolling down the page further, the current weather is displayed giving temperature, humidity, wind speed and air pressure, followed by a forecast of the predicted air pollution for the forthcoming days. This can be very useful if planning a trip in the not-too-distant future.

Does the air pollution map for Vung Tau indicate areas of high air pollution?

As previously stated, Vung Tau has no ground monitors to measure the air pollution so relies solely on satellite data. This data does not pin-point the exact location of the pollution but tends to look at the overall situation. The closest monitoring stations to Vung Tau are many kilometres away in Ho Chi Minh City.

Within the last 18 months, a 20 square metre screen has been erected in the central park area of Ba Ria. The content displayed on the led screen and the website includes a magnified map of the monitoring location for locals to visualise it. A Human face with 3 states of smile/normal/distorted repesents the overall quality, and a colour combination according to the instruction table represents the ambient quality index (AQI). From the AQI index, the authorities make recommendations to the people. Specifically, there are 6 warning levels: Good (green); medium (gold); poor (orange); bad (red); very bad (purple); hazardous (brown).

In Ba Ria Vung Tau, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment is surveying locations to install 3 more outdoor led screens to provide more information for people and visitors in other areas to know.

Is the source of the pollution shown on the air quality map for Vung Tau?

Vung Tau is a locality with rapid urbanisation and many activities of industrial production, construction, seafood processing, and concentrated waste treatment. Facing many environmental problems, including air pollution, is also inevitable. In the near future, air pollution in Vung Tau will be even worse when dust, traffic emissions, construction and industrial wastes increase, and are not effectively controlled.

Over the past few years, functional branches and local authorities of Vung Tau have implemented many solutions to improve air pollution. Districts, towns and cities focus on improving traffic infrastructure, planting more trees, cleaning streets, clearing sewers, dredging ponds, lakes, canals and drainage systems. Industrial clusters on industrial parks are required to invest in renewal of technological equipment, install and operate waste and gas treatment systems, ensuring compliance with permitted environmental standards.

Once understood, people will actively maintain the hygiene of residential areas, collect and dispose of waste in the right places, not raise livestock and poultry in residential areas, not burn rice straw after harvest, plant trees and generally improve living space.

PM2.5 is always listed as the main pollutant on the air pollution map for Vung Tau but what is it?

PM2.5 are atmospheric aerosols with a maximum diameter of 2.5 micrometres. This type of suspended particulate matter is considered the most dangerous to human health. This is due to its very fine nature, and its ability to penetrate directly into the bloodstream.

PM10 is a mixture of particles suspended in the air that do not exceed 10 micrograms in diameter. It is harmful because it contains benzopyrenes, furans, dioxins and in short, carcinogenic heavy metals. According to the WHO, the limit value of the average daily concentration of this particulate matter is 50 micrograms per cubic meter, and the annual limit value is 20 micrograms per cubic meter. However, it is worth noting that information about exceeded limit values is only announced when the daily concentration of PM10 is 200 micrograms per cubic meter. This shows how often people believe that the quality of the air is acceptable, even when it is very polluted, just because the alarm level has not been reached yet.