The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment said that, according to monitoring data from the national environmental quality surveillance network and meteorological–hydrological forecasts, the next 10 days are expected to bring adverse weather conditions to the Northern region, particularly Hanoi and its neighboring provinces. Temperature inversions, stagnant air, and fog are likely to reduce the dispersion of pollutants, increasing the risk of elevated PM2.5 concentrations, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) potentially exceeding 150. Such conditions, the ministry warned, could directly affect economic and social activities as well as public health.
To proactively contain, prevent, and mitigate pollution levels and their negative impacts, the ministry has called on the People’s Committees of the affected provinces and cities to intensify street cleaning and implement additional measures to reduce road dust.
Specific measures include directing environmental sanitation units and infrastructure project owners to immediately increase the frequency of street sweeping and vacuuming; deploying specialized vehicles to spray and wash roads along major traffic routes and city gateways; and strictly controlling dust emissions from construction sites and transport activities.
Local authorities are also urged to intensify inspections and supervision of construction sites within their jurisdictions, halting operations if necessary for projects that fail to meet environmental protection regulations and generate dust or allow soil and debris to spill onto roads. Additionally, they should strengthen enforcement against transport vehicles carrying construction materials or waste that are inadequately covered, causing spillage and environmental contamination.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment has also urged local authorities to strictly manage industrial emissions and activities involving combustion in craft villages, particularly facilities with significant air pollutant outputs such as cement plants, thermal power plants, and steel mills; craft villages with burning processes; and local recycling facilities.
Authorities are called upon to ensure the stable operation of exhaust treatment systems in accordance with environmental technical standards and to encourage a reduction in operational capacity on days when the Vietnam Air Quality Index (VN_AQI) reaches unhealthy levels, posing risks to public health.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment will employ drones and satellite imagery to monitor and detect open burning sites and major emission sources and will send violation data and images to local authorities.
The ministry has also urged local governments to take immediate action upon receiving such reports. It will coordinate with localities to form interdisciplinary inspection forces, if necessary, to inspect and supervise compliance, strictly handle violations, and publicly disclose information on offending organizations and individuals through mass media channels.
