Nine million people have been left choking on toxic, putrid air in the most polluted city on Earth.
Vietnam’s capital Hanoi topped the list of the most polluted major cities for the first time in history, followed by India’s Delhi, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Sarajevo and Bangladesh’s Dhaka.
Levels of hazardous small particles, PM2.5 – cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs – were measured at 266 micrograms per cubic metre early on Friday.
This is the highest reading on AirVisual, which provides global air pollution information through an app, but in the last 48 hours the city has dropped to fourth place.
Photographs from Hanoi show skyscrapers blanketed in hazardous smog, now a permanent fixture in winter.
People have been warned to wear masks and limit their time outdoors, but many have complained that it is becoming difficult to breath.
Luu Minh Duc, 64, said: ‘The situation seems to get worse recently. We the elderly can feel it clearly when we suffer from respiratory problems that lead to breathing difficulties.’
Nguyen Ninh Huong, 21, said: ‘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.’
The Southeast Asian country, a regional manufacturing hub with one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia, has reported severe air pollution in its major cities for years.
The thick smog in Hanoi is mostly caused by heavy traffic, trash burning and industrial activities.
Speaking at a meeting with the transport ministry on Thursday, the deputy prime minister Tran Hong Ha called for an accelerated transition to electric vehicles as part of the efforts to reduce pollution, state media reported.
So far Hanoi has a target for at least 50% of buses and 100% of taxis to be EVs by 2030.
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