Dense fog blanketed Hanoi on Friday, obscuring buildings in Vietnam’s capital and leaving nine million residents suffocated by air pollution at levels 15 times higher than the maximum threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO). according to measurements carried out by the company IQAir.
In the morning, Hanoi topped the ranking of the most polluted large cities in the world established by the Swiss company IQAir, before falling again.
According to IQAir, levels of PM2.5 pollutants – carcinogenic microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs – reached 227 micrograms per cubic meter, or 15 times the maximum daily average exposure recommended by the WHO.
“The air quality is so bad that I don’t feel like I can breathe easily in the open air”Tran Quynh Lan, an office worker who now turns to the more expensive alternative of buses and taxis, rather than motorbikes, to get to work, told AFP.
According to climate expert Huy Nguyen, emissions from agriculture and coal-fired power plants north of the city are exacerbating the problem, and Hanoi residents must “expect a strong northeast monsoon with rain and strong convection” so that the situation improves.
The city was ranked among the 10 most polluted capitals in the world by IQAir in 2023.