Iran shut primary schools in Tehran and other parts of the country on Sunday as thick smog blanketed the capital despite curbs on road traffic and industrial activity. A blanket of smog has covered neighbourhoods in Teheran in the past few days Local authorities late Saturday announced the closure of all primary schools in the province of Tehran, which is home to 14 million residents, except in two towns.On Sunday, smog enveloped Tehran and shielded from view the mountains to the north of the capital.Every year, Tehran suffers some of the worst pollution in the world when cool temperatures cause an effect known as "temperature inversion".The phenomenon creates a layer of warm air above the city that traps pollution from its more than eight million cars and motorbikes."Tehran is suffocating (but) hundreds of thousands of cars are built each year," said Hossein, a man in his sixties who did not give his surname."They're building in the mountains, they're destroying our forests. We … [Read more...] about Heavy air pollution shuts schools in Iran
Pollution
Water pollution getting worse: experts
HÀ NỘI — Widespread water pollution nationwide has inflicted an estimated economic loss of VNĐ11.6 trillion (US$510.7 million) in the last ten years and the situation is not getting better, an environmental expert says. Nguyễn Ngọc Lý, director of the Hà Nội-based Centre for Community and Environment Research said rapid urbanisation and industrialisation were generating more and more pollutants, and the water environment had been badly hit. Apart from the economic losses, water pollution had had serious health impacts, she said. Fixing water pollution required huge funding, Lý said, citing as an example the efforts made to clean the 8km long Nhiêu Lộc Canal in HCM City. The restoration work, ongoing since 2008, has taken many years and $685 million thus far. Nguyễn Văn Thùy, director of the Centre for Environment Monitoring said Việt Nam has about 3,450 rivers and springs with length of at least ten … [Read more...] about Water pollution getting worse: experts
Experts slam VN air pollution
HCM CITY — Việt Nam has an increasing incidence of respiratory diseases, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) repeatedly issuing warnings that it is among the most air-polluted countries in the Asia-Pacific region, according to health experts. Dr Nguyễn Thanh Vũ, a lecturer at the School of Medicine at the Việt Nam National University-HCM City, said children were at high risk from air pollution, which has a long-term effect on their health, causing pneumonia, diseases relating to their ears, nose and throat, and asthma. He was speaking at a conference titled New Warning About Respiratory Safety yesterday held by the Ear Nose Throat Association of HCM City and Southern Provinces. He cited a WHO report saying that two million children die globally due to acute respiratory infections, 60 per cent of them caused by polluted air. Some 3-5 per cent of children’s congenital defects are caused by environmental pollution, the report added. Vũ said … [Read more...] about Experts slam VN air pollution
Thermal power plant says will reduce dust pollution
Thermal power plant says will reduce dust pollution The Saigon Times Daily HCMC – EVN Power Generation Corporation 3, the operator of Vinh Tan 2 Thermal Power Plant in Binh Thuan Province, has promised to stop transferring coal ash for ten days to reduce dust pollution in nearby residential areas, the local news site Vietnamnet reports. The promise came after a large number of people in Vinh Tan Commune, Tuy Phong District where the plant is located gathered on the National Highway 1 section at the project in protest against the dust pollution caused by the plant. The huge gathering led to severe traffic congestion on the 50-kilometer-long road section in the south-central province on Tuesday and Wednesday. Nguyen Ngoc, vice chairman of Binh Thuan Province, confirmed the traffic congestion and explained that strong winds worsened coal ash pollution around the area of the thermal power plant. But competent agencies took swift actions and requested locals to stop blocking the … [Read more...] about Thermal power plant says will reduce dust pollution
Scent of milkwood pine flowers still better than air pollution
The complaint is not unreasonable as flowers of milkwood pine trees, one of the capital city’s symbols, give off a very strong fragrance where the trees are planted densely, in stark contrast with the faint sweet smell usually illustrated in songs and poems about Hanoi.Nevertheless, “scent pollution” is still the most pleasant form of pollution in the increasingly crowded capital city. In a city of more than 7 million people where cars and motorbikes are outgrowing trees, tolerating the smell of milkwood pine in just a few months seems to be a fortunate change compared to living with toxic gases, dusts and other odours from the city’s unhygienic conditions all year round.According to the General Department for the Environment, Hanoi’s air pollution, especially the amount of particulate matter, has far exceeded the acceptable level. Elsewhere in Vietnam, major cities are also experiencing pollution with a high level of extremely small pieces of dust, but … [Read more...] about Scent of milkwood pine flowers still better than air pollution