Early application of measures to deal with fine dust
The Hanoi People's Committee has announced the Conclusion of Vice Chairman of the People's Committee Nguyen Trong Dong in improving the quality of environmental sanitation in 4 inner-city districts including: Ba Dinh, Hoan Kiem, Dong Da and Hai Ba Trung. In particular, the Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee requested Hanoi Urban Environment Company Limited (URENCO) to use green, modern environmental sanitation equipment; apply appropriate collection processes and methods, creating a clear change in quality, efficiency, and urban aesthetics.
According to URENCO Company, the world has used a dusty fog spraying truck with a capacity of about 10 tons of water and can continuously spray fog for 75 minutes. The small size of the fog grains can effectively resolve dust particles in the air, immediately reducing dust smoke.
If applied, using a large capacity, higher spraying range with appropriate volume and frequency will reduce a large amount of dust and smoke in the air on main streets and important streets in Hanoi.
Agreeing with this view, Dr. Hoang Duong Tung - Chairman of the Vietnam Clean Air Network - said that applying measures to reduce fine dust and contribute to environmental protection is urgent at this time.
"Currently, sources of emissions, smoke and dust from factories, workshops, construction works and emissions from vehicles are emitting large amounts of CO2, NOx, SO2 and fine dust. Along with that, the impacts of unfavorable weather, leading to limited diffusion of air pollutants, directly affecting people's health. Therefore, the use of road users to spray fog and remove dust and methods to limit fine dust in densely populated areas and many means of transportation is extremely necessary..." - Dr. Hoang Duong Tung shared.
Faced with fine dust pollution affecting the environment and human health, recently, URENCO Company has increased the frequency of street washing, at the same time, adjusted the street washing time to early morning until before rush hour, and added street washing at noon to improve air quality in Hanoi.
As the person who directly sprayed the fog around Hoan Kiem district, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khanh - the fog driver of URENCO Company - said that he felt the clear change in the air after spraying.
"Spraying fog and dust is very good for the environment. This solution not only limits dust and cleans the road but also helps the air to be fresh. I think that if we use a spray truck with a larger capacity, with a higher spraying range and appropriate frequency, we will reduce a large amount of dust and smoke in the air in the inner city of Hanoi" - Mr. Khanh commented.
Considering the economic and efficiency problems
Mr. Nguyen Van Binh (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) said that Hanoi is a place with many tourists coming to visit, so using environmental improvement measures not only brings people fresh air but also contributes to changing the way tourists perceive air quality and the environment in the capital.
However, Mr. Binh also believes that to solve this problem in the long term, there must be many accompanying solutions such as: limiting the density of vehicles entering the inner city; managing construction sites and projects to ensure environmental pollution regulations... In addition, Hanoi City can study planning to plant more trees in areas with sufficient conditions.
Sharing with Lao Dong about this issue, Associate Professor. Dr. Bui Thi An - Director of the Institute of Natural Resources, Environment and Community Development - said that before implementing the method of using a road to spray and remove dust, it is necessary to choose the right time, location and amount of sprayed fog to avoid waste and affecting traffic as well as people's daily activities.
The Director of the Institute of Natural Resources, Environment and Community Development also said: "Although the method of using vehicles to spray fog and remove dust is bringing positive changes to the air. However, economic factors need to be considered because the cost of buying and operating such a spray truck is not cheap. Therefore, instead of applying it simultaneously, it is advisable to conduct a pilot in some areas. After having assessments, it is necessary to continue researching and comparing the cost and effectiveness of the dusty vehicle method with other measures to find the optimal solution, then replicating it".
