RCEE-NIRAS has won a contract from the World Bank (WB) to implement Vietnam in Air Quality Management (AQM) Technical Assistance  Program 

In Vietnam, ambient or outdoor air pollution has increasingly become one of the most critical concerns of the population, especially in the urban areas. In cities like Hanoi, Bac Ninh and Hung Yen, total Suspended Particle values increased many folds in this period. Most recent fine particle PM2.5 readings in Hanoi showed as high values as between 90-105 µg/m3 with an annual average of 60 µg/m3, which is 6 times higher than WHO’s ultimate standard of 10 µg/m3. High concentrations of fine particles also indicate high environmental health impacts on people living in these cities.

Vietnam’s poor air quality is causing both significant environmental degradation and public health problems, undermining the potential for sustainable socioeconomic development of the country and impacting the poor. Vietnam is among the ten countries in the world most affected by air pollution, due to lack of control of polluting sources, including transportation, while total Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions have also almost tripled over the past decade.

The World Bank has mobilized financing to support Vietnam in Air Quality Management (AQM) Technical Assistance to implement an integrated approach to Air Quality Management. Under the framework of this Program, RCEE-NIRAS will work closely with WB, MONRE, Hanoi, Bac Ninh and Hung Yen to: (i) carry out the inventory of emission sources in Hanoi and neighboring regions impacting the greater Hanoi area; (ii) applying to use these emission sources in an adapted GAINS (Greenhouse gas – Air pollution Interactions and Synergies) model for greater Hanoi area in order to identify cost effective air quality improvement policies and investment measures at local, regional and national level; and (iii) support Hanoi and the larger Hanoi area including Bac Ninh and Hung Yen provinces in the development of an Air Quality Management Plan that adopts policies and investment measures to reach air quality targets and similarly adopt policies and investment measures at national level through MONRE and other relevant ministries (transport, industry and trade, agriculture etc).