Construction across Hanoi is being accelerated to improve the cityscape and ease congestion and flooding. But the lack of dust-control measures during demolition and excavation has let dirt and dust spread into the surrounding environment.
On a sunny day, Vo Chi Cong Street in Xuan La Ward sits under a haze of dust that cuts visibility.
At the Ring Road 1 project along the Hoang Cau-Voi Phuc section in Giang Vo Ward, several work items underway are kicking up dense dust.
Similarly, at the Ring Road 2.5 project along the Nguyen Trai-Dam Hong section, demolition for site clearance throws up thick clouds of dust.
Alley 43 on Trung Kinh Street is lined with buildings and homes put up decades ago. As they are torn down, large amounts of dust and broken brick spread into the air, affecting the surrounding residential area.
Along the Ring Road 2.5 stretch through Yen Hoa Ward, at Alley 43 on Trung Kinh Street, dust blankets the area. At times it grows so thick that residents cannot make out the opposite end of the alley, about 100 m away.
The project runs through a densely populated area, so the spreading dust directly affects residents' daily lives and businesses. For more than a week the area has been almost permanently hazy because the demolition is done without water spraying.
"My family runs an eatery, so we've been hit hard. Dust clings to everything, and we have fewer customers because no one wants to sit and eat in all this dust," said Vu Ngoc Hoa.
On Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan Ward, dust kicked up by wheels and passing vehicles drifts into the air. Work on a flood-prevention drain often leaves the area shrouded in dust.
On Trang Thi Street through Cua Nam Ward, the road surface is caked with dirt and sand ground fine by passing wheels. Every time a car goes by, the dust billows up.
On Quang Trung Street, along the stretch from Hai Ba Trung Street to Trang Thi Street, dust and scattered grit are also a problem during construction. Many parts of the site are not properly fenced off, letting dust escape into the surrounding area.
At a shop on Quan Su Street, an employee mops the floor for the fourth time in a day. Even so, the mop comes up black from the thick dust blowing in from the Quan Su-Hai Ba Trung intersection.
To hold the dust down, Doan Hai Dang borrows a hose from a nearby shop to wet the road several times a day. "It's not just the dust. The road surface at this intersection is badly broken up now, uneven in many spots, with gravel scattered everywhere. Quite a few people have slipped and fallen passing through here lately," Dang said.
"Every time I pass through it's suffocating. The dust is always thick because the crews usually demolish during rush hour. My house is more than 300 m from the site, but we still keep the doors shut and run the air purifier almost all day," said Thu Thao, a resident of Alley 43 on Trung Kinh Street.
Dust from the demolition sites spreads almost all day long, degrading the living environment and becoming a constant torment for people in the area.
