HCMC air and noise pollution worsens

By Van Nam - The Saigon Times Daily HCMC – Air pollution in many areas around HCMC is worsening with the latest examination results showing almost 92% of dust concentration along many streets has exceeded the permissible level by over seven times. The examination, conducted by the HCMC Environmental Protection Agency, also indicates noise pollution has risen to a worrying level in many places as 78% of the inspected samples fail to meet the standards. Some areas such as An Suong Intersection, Go Vap Crossroads and Dinh Tien Hoang-Dien Bien Phu Intersection are most polluted in the city because of rising traffic jams there. For water pollution, the environmental protection agency found that Tan Hoa-Lo Gom remains the heavily polluted canal in the city. Organic concentration in the canal exceeds the permissible level by 5,000 to 11,500 times. The pollution caused by organic concentration in this canal is up 219 times compared to the same period of last year. However, organic pollution in some other canals like Tau Hu-Ben Nghe, Nhieu Loc-Thi Nghe and Doi-Te is on the decline. COD and BOD concentration measured at these canals are down 2.8-5 times compared to the same period of last year.