Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has requested the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to work with Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City to take comprehensive measures to address pressing air pollution.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chairs Cabinet meeting
in Ha Noi on October 2, 2019. Photo: VGP

The Government chief made the request while presiding over the Cabinet meeting in Ha Noi on Wednesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ha Noi Municipal People’s Committee recommended residents to wear protective masks when going outside as farmers in outskirts of the city burn straw and PM2.5 levels exceed acceptable marks.

The capital city has introduced a series of measures to overcome the above situation by installing air monitoring stations and calling on farmers not to burn straw.

At 10am  on Wednesday, the PM2.5 level was 132.01, according to the city’s automated environmental monitoring system which updates real-time air data across throughout Ha Noi.

Meanwhile, air quality deteriorated in some areas of Ho Chi Minh City in September with the levels of NO2, CO, and PM2.5 increasing by 1.4, 1.4 and 2.2 times.