Hanoi (VNA) – A seminar was held in Hanoi onOctober 11 to raise public awareness of the city’s efforts to improve airquality and the community’s involvement in the process.

The event was co-hosted by the municipal Department ofNatural Resources and Environment, the Vietnam Clean Air Partnership (VCAP) andthe Live & Learn Centre.

Speaking at the event, VCAP Chairman Hoang Duong Tung admittedthat many air monitoring apps and websites are now available but it is hard toverify their accuracy.

Mai Ngoc Thai, head of the department’s Environment ProtectionAgency, said Hanoi consumes an estimated amount of over 400 million kWh perelectricity and millions of litres of petrol each day, which results in airpollution and greenhouse gas emission.

This year, Hanoi has established and operated 10 automaticair monitoring stations, and built a project on environment monitoring systemwith 20 fixed, 12 sensor and one mobile monitoring stations.

The city is also working to end the use of coal stoves by theend of next year and embarking on a project on strengthening the management ofroad vehicles to ease traffic congestion and prevent environment protection forthe 2017 – 2020 period with a vision to 2030, and another on noise and dustprevention.

It also pooled the support from the World Bank, scientistsand units concerned to find out the origin of dust.

Representatives from non-governmental organisationssuggested calling for the involvement of the people belonging to all walks oflife to take green measures, adding that eco-friendly firms should be providedwith tax incentives and business opportunities./.