Hanoi tops global pollution charts, WHO issues urgent warning
According to data from AirVisual, Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, currently has the most polluted air in the world. On Friday, January 3, the concentration of harmful PM2.5 particles was 266 micrograms per cubic meter. The World Health Organization is sounding the alarm.
Hanoi has been struggling with dense smog for several weeks, and on the morning of Friday, January 3, it reached the worst level globally.
A dangerous situation for health
The World Health Organization asserts that such levels pose a serious health risk, as values above 60 µg/m³ are already considered very high. The Friday result exceeded this standard by over 200 µg.
The dense smog is mainly caused by heavy street traffic, waste burning, and industrial activities. As one of the fastest-growing cities in Asia, Hanoi is confronting the consequences of its rapid economic expansion.
Residents of the capital complain about breathing problems and limited visibility. "At first I thought it was foggy ... but later I found out that it is actually fine dusts that reduce my vision and make me feel like it is not healthy to breathe," admitted a 21-year-old Hanoi resident in an interview with Reuters.
Authorities want to tackle the problem
In response to the deteriorating air quality, Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has called for intensified efforts to transition to electric vehicles. The city authorities plan for at least 50% of city buses to be electric by 2030. Additionally, they aim to convert all taxis to electric.
Besides Hanoi, other Asian metropolises dominate the list of the most polluted cities in the world. These include Delhi in India, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Lahore and Karachi in Pakistan, and Chinese cities like Chengdu, Chongqing, and Wuhan. In Europe, the worst air quality was recorded in Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, where the level of PM2.5 particles exceeded 100 µg/m³.
