The Hanoi Police Department in coordination with the city Committee of Vietnam Fatherland Front and religious organizations hosted a workshop to debate environmental protection for the first time on November 24.
The event was attended by Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan. The religious organizations comprise the Buddhist Sangha of Vietnam, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hanoi and the General Evangelical Church of Vietnam in the northern region.
Chairman of the Hanoi People’ Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said that Hanoi is heavily polluted.
According to Mr. Chung, Hanoi has over 1,000 lakes and all have been polluted. Recently, fish has died en masses in some lakes in the city. Underground water has also been impure so Hanoians inner the city will be provided with tapped water to stop the use of polluted underground water.
Citizens discharge 8,000-10,000 tons of garbage a day and they are mainly been treated by burying. Environmental pollution at trade villages and industrial parks has been serious. Food safety and hygiene violations have been rampant and air pollution has exceeded permissible levels by tens of times.
In the upcoming time, Hanoi will implement some measures to tackle the environmental pollution. For instance, local authorities will ban out of date vehicles from traveling in streets.
Next month, the city will install ten air quality observation stations, increase the number by 50 ones in 2017 and place observation stations at lakes in the next couple of years.
In addition, the city will plant an extra of one million trees to reduce dust and noise pollution and encourage citizens to plant trees and flowers in front of their houses. Work will start on a waste incineration plant using thermal power next January.
