Time to take bolder actions for clean of Vietnamese local governments
- Green Movement
- Mar 24, 2021
- 3 min read
There are organizations around Vietnam that are helping address the country’s air pollution issue. The Vietnam Association for Conservation of Natural Resources and Environment (VACNE) formed the Vietnam Clean Air Partnership (VCAP). This partnership gathers partners and individuals to raise awareness and carry out activities to address air pollution. Partners include the cities of Danang, Haiphong, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City, along with organizations like the Environmental Protection Agency (HEPA), the Southern Regional Hydrometeorological Center (SRHMC), the Vietnam Register, the Institute for Environment and Resources (CEFINEA) and the Vietnam National University. VACNE and its partners worked with Clean Air Asia and U.N. Environment to draft a policy for vehicles, such as motorbikes and cargo-loaders. The policy should ensure a standard for vehicle exhaustion, fuel emission, and battery-use efficiency.
In Viet Nam, the Prime Minister issued the National action plan on air quality management by 2020 with the vision to 2025 (Decision No 9851/QD-TTG) in 2016, which outlines activities – including determining and keep an eye on pollution sources and monitoring air quality at all levels – which will inform actions towards air quality improvement. The plan includes a 20 percent reduction target for NOx, SOx, and particulate matter emitted by cement, chemicals, fertilizer, and petroleum production facilities. The government, at national and local levels, needs to consider the following actions towards clean air and improved health for the people. Separately, a draft National Technical Regulation on Emissions for the Steel Industry is also in progress. Vietnam’s draft Environmental Law (55/2014/QH13) also contains air quality management requirements, including point source registration, emissions inventory, and installation of continuous emission monitoring systems for the biggest stationary source emitters.
First, the government should strengthen its air quality monitoring system and share the data with the public. Currently, the number of official air quality monitoring stations is limited. More monitoring stations should be installed and put into operation. Considering the high cost of official monitoring station, more economical monitoring equipment could also be an alternative. Air quality data should be informed to the public on a real-time basis.
Second, to protect people’s health, the government needs to enforce emergency measures to minimize the emissions during the period of air pollution level far exceeding the WHO guidelines. The Air Quality Index can be useful guidance to trigger emergency actions of emission control by the government. Such actions may target the industry, power plants, transport, waste management facilities, and agricultural burning. The cities may also increase the frequency of street cleaning using water spray to reduce the dust emission from the Urban Environment Company (URENCO).
Third, the sources of air pollution should be thoroughly identified, and a long-term plan to ensure clean air should be developed and implemented. Most sources of outdoor air pollution are well beyond the control of individuals and demand concerted action by local, national, and international policymakers. This means that, even during the low air pollution period, the authorities in the sectors of transport, energy and waste management, urban planning, and agriculture should work together for clean air. There are many examples of successful policies that reduce air pollution:
for industry: clean technologies that reduce industrial smokestack emissions; improved management of urban and agricultural waste, including capture of methane gas emitted from waste sites as an alternative to incineration (for use as biogas);
for energy: ensuring access to affordable clean household energy solutions for cooking, heating, and lighting;
for transport: shifting to clean modes of power generation; prioritizing rapid urban transit, walking and cycling networks in cities, as well as rail interurban freight and passenger travel; shifting to cleaner heavy-duty diesel vehicles and low-emission vehicles and fuels, including fuels with reduced sulfur content;
for urban planning: improving the energy efficiency of buildings and making cities greener and more compact, and thus energy efficient;
for power generation: increased use of low-emission fuels and renewable combustion-free power sources (like solar, wind, or hydropower); co-generation of heat and power; and distributed energy generation (e.g. mini-grids and rooftop solar power generation);
for municipal and agricultural waste management: strategies for waste reduction, waste separation, recycling and reuse or waste reprocessing, as well as improved methods of biological waste management such as anaerobic waste digestion to produce biogas, are feasible low-cost alternatives to the open incineration of solid waste.; where incineration is unavoidable, combustion technologies with strict emission controls are critical.
Air pollution is among the most important public health issues in large cities of the developing world. It affects us all, and the government should exercise its leadership role in controlling emissions aggressively, particularly during the time of severe pollution. The government, civil society, and international partners should work together to find mid-and long-term solutions to prevent air pollution right from its source. It’s time to take bolder actions for clean air and people’s health.
Nguyen Thi Hoai Linh
References
Dr. Kidong Park (2019). “Time to take bolder actions for clean air and people’s health”. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/vietnam/news/commentaries/detail/time-to-take-bolder-actions-for-clean-air-and-people%E2%80%99s-health
Hung Le (2020). “ELIMINATING AIR POLLUTION IN VIETNAM”. Retrieved from https://borgenproject.org/air-pollution-in-vietnam/
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