Re: [News] Pollution in HCMC

[hduc@airmoon.epa.nsw.gov.au]

Hello all,

I was in Saigon and visited the monitoring site at the corner of Dinh 
Tien Hoang and Dien Bien Phu streets with the team who took the 
measurement a few weeks ago. The team from the Center of 
Environment at the University of Technology has a contract from the 
Office of Science, Technology and Environment of Ho Chi Minh City 
(So+? C^ong nghe^. va` mo^i tru+o+`ng) to study the air pollution 
in the City. These people are very competent to do the work even though 
they lack a lot of instruments. The volume sampler they designed from the 
home-made pumps and available filter papers.

Certainly that site is very bad in term of traffic flow and constant 
traffic jam (especially at about 4pm) because it is the main road to Thu 
Duc, Dong Nai Province . The noise pollution is 
also terrible. I do'nt know how the people live in the houses around the 
corner can stand it. The intersection will be widened to reduce the 
problem. The houses will have to be cleared. 

A number of intersection in the city will be improved to manage the 
traffic flow. For example, the one at Nam Ky Khoi Nghia and Dien Bien Phu 
will have an underground tunnel to increase the flow.

The air pollution is bad but the water pollution in Saigon, Dong nai 
rivers as well as creeks and underground water in the city is 
alarming. Industrial parks in Thu Duc and Dong Nai province are the 
main causes. Some organisations in the city are very active in monitoring 
and manage these problems. They need a lot of help especially 
instrumentation and management skills as well as raising awareness of the 
problems in this fast-moving city. 

Cheers,

Hiep Nguyen 

On Thu, 17 Apr 1997, Dam Son wrote:

> 
> Nha^n ba'c Ca no'i chuye^.n ve^` mo^i tru+o+`ng, co' tin sau:
> 
> Pollution in HCMC
> 
> The intersection of Dinh Tien Hoang and Dien Bien Phu streets in District
> 1, HCMC has the highest level of CO, Pb and NO2 pollution, according to
> recent report by the city Environment Committee.  This intersection and
> others such as Hang Xanh, Phu Lam and Minh Phung-Hau Giang has the level
> of pollution exceeding the allowed one by 200% to 700%.  However, the
> concentration of polluting substances at these places is slightly smaller
> than in the same period last year.  In contrast, the content of N and P
> substances in Saigon and Dong Nai rivers, measured at various places,
> increase twofold during a year. 
> 
> Several investment projects were rejected on environmental cause in HCMC.
>