People from all walks of life should join hands to protect the environment through small practical deeds.

This is the message from the “20 seconds for green Earth” project,which encourages commuters to switch off their engines at red lights toreduce the amount of emissions.

Air pollution has become increasingly serious as a result of 6 million bikes travelling in the city.

The level of lead rose by a maximum of 36 percent in 2013 over theprevious year, according to the municipal Department of EnvironmentalProtection.

Professor Nguyen Van Phuoc, President of theInstitute for Environment and Natural Resources, said ecologicalpollution is a festering issue in Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City inparticular due to rapid urban development and the increase of gases fromvehicles and industries.

It is also blamed for deteriorating public health and contributing to the greenhouse effect, Phuoc added.
The number of people suffering from respiratory problems - mainlycaused by polluted air - accounts for 3-4 percent of the population,according to Nguyen Dinh Tuan, former Rector of the Natural Resourcesand Environment University.

Statistics also indicate that thepercentage of people with breathing difficulties in developing citiessuch as Hanoi , Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong is 4-5 times higherthan that in poor localities like Dien Bien and Bac Can.

HoChi Minh City has employed various measures to control air quality.For example, commuters are encouraged to use clean fuel such as ethanoland biological oil to reduce gas emissions.

The city is alsopiloting a number of buses running on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) – aclean fuel, which has proved effective and saved around 30 percent offuel costs.

Municipal authorities have also concentrated on developing green industry and clean manufacturing technology.

Environmentalists said residents are the main participants inactivities causing environmental pollution and they themselves have toincur the consequences. Therefore, protecting the environment is notonly the responsibility of local authorities but also of each citizen,experts said.

Sharing this viewpoint, Professor Phuocstressed the need to call on the whole community to take part in theenvironmental management system, and the public should be informed ofstatistics relating to the field and enhanced awareness of the issue.

Additionally, it is suggested that residents are encouraged tochange their daily habits that badly affect the environment and usepublic transport or bicycles.-VNA