Endless streams of traffic create pollution in Ha Noi. Dust and noise problems are also being examined by the City’s People’s Committee.

The six-month project, one of several plans to improve the city’s pollution problem, started on January 1. It will monitor city pollution levels and hopefully lead to solutions that enable city authorities to deal with the problem.

Head of the Pollution Control Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Hoang Duc said: "This is a good move. Dust and noise pollution is the most serious environmental problem in Ha Noi, especially around construction areas. It’s about time for action."

A Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment report released last year showed that 180 out of 250 locations tested for dust had higher rates than the average acceptable level of PM10 of 120 micrograms per cubic metre.

For example, dust concentrations on many streets such as Nguyen Trai, Nguyen Van Linh and Xuan Thuy were more than 10 times higher than the permitted limit.

"Hanoians are being tortured by the dust pollution, which ranks among the most serious in the world," said Professor Pham Ngoc Dang, former principal of the Ha Noi University of Civil Engineering. He has studied air pollution in Ha Noi for more than 30 years.

High humidity and low awareness of proper sanitation had created favourable conditions for bacteria to bind with dust, which is one way diseases can spread, said Dang.

"It’s terrible. It’s not only the dust, but also truck horns; this is another disaster for me. They [truck drivers] drive at a very high speed and use their horns carelessly, whether it’s day or night.

"My daughter is always startled out of sleep because of the noise. We have to close all the doors and windows, but it doesn’t help," said Nguyen Thi Lanh, a resident on Pham Van Dong Street.

"I have to spray water in front of the house three times a day but it doesn’t seem to do anything. Dust covers everything. I can even feel it in my mouth," said Le Thu Hoa, a resident on Khuat Duy Tien Street, one of the most heavily dust-polluted streets in the city.

A recent Ha Noi People’s Committee report revealed that the city’s air environment tended to be seriously polluted. After alarming figures were reported by monitoring centres, the city has decided to save the local environment.

"Many plans have been made but the situation has not shown any signs of improvement; things have only gotten worse. I hope the project will help provide practical solutions for officials and lead to something different so that we can maintain our fresh and charming Ha Noi, as it used to be," said Dang.