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Statistics from Swiss tech company IQAir from March 4 to April 2 revealed that Hanoi had seen 16 days of "unhealthy" air quality, where its Air Quality Index (AQI) was 151-200; and 12 days of air quality deemed "unhealthy for sensitive groups", with an AQI of 101-150.
On March 5, Hanoi observed "very unhealthy" air quality with an AQI value of 201. The capital only received a single day of "moderate" air quality on March 19, with an AQI value of 67.
The Vietnamese capital city topped IQAir's chart of the world's most populated cities that same day when levels of PM2.5 hit more than 24 times the WHO's annual guidelines, AFP reported. Thick layers of haze could be observed, with carbon emissions from coal plants and traffic worsening the issue.
Ho Chi Minh City has seen less severe pollution the past month, with moderate air quality in most the days, according to IQAir's record between March 3 and April 2. There were three days when the city's air quality was deemed "unhealthy for sensitive groups" during the period.
When it comes to PM2.5 levels, Hanoi saw the same air quality pattern over the last 30 days, with 16 days observing "unhealthy" levels of PM2.5 and 12 days with "unhealthy for sensitive groups" levels.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the AQI level in Hanoi has been recorded at 162, placing its air quality at "unhealthy."
Vietnamese environment monitoring application PAM Air meanwhile recorded "unhealthy" air quality levels at most stations in Hanoi, with only some stations at "moderate" levels.
Earlier last month, Hanoi People's Committee said the average level of PM2.5 in the air for the 2018-2020 period was twice as much as the national standard.
The capital has seen frequent haze in the morning and the evening over the past few months. Reports showed large discrepancies between yearly average PM2.5 levels between Hanoi's districts and towns, with higher dust levels in downtown areas and lower levels in suburban areas, except for Gia Lam, Dong Anh and Thanh Tri districts.
