Urban Air Pollution in Vietnam - Research Proposal Example

Urban Air Pollution Control Policy in Vietnam: Impact on Health By of the Submitted as a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of ……………. Name of the Academic Institution 2009 Table of Contents I. Introduction 3 II. Literature Review 4 III. Statement of Research Questions 7 IV. Methodology 7 V. Research Significance 7 Works Cited 9 I: Introduction The intensity with which urban air pollution is on the rise in Vietnam portends a gloomy situation in the times to come. As per the National State Environment Report 2007, vehicular traffic accounts for more then 70 percent of urban air pollution in Vietnam (Thanhnien News). The exhaust released by vehicles contains harmful chemicals and substances like carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), lead and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). In addition, the industries located in urban areas release copious amounts of sulfur dioxide (SO2). Besides, the construction boom in this nation is releasing abundant amounts of dust in the urban air. According to Pham Khoi Nguyen, the Minister for Natural Resources and Environment, “social and economic development activities have the greatest impact on air quality (Thanhnien News). Hence, it is not a surprise that people residing in the urban areas in Vietnam are falling prey to pollution related ailments like pulmonary diseases, multiple forms of leukemia and cancer. The objective of this paper is to take a stock of the urban air pollution in Vietnam and the pollution control policy followed by the concerned agencies and institutions. The paper also intends to look into the impact of urban air pollution in Vietnam on the people residing in the urban centers. II. Literature Review As Vietnam moves ahead on the path of social and economic development, urban air pollution is expected to get worse. Multiple urban phenomenon and activities like vehicular traffic, industries, construction, infrastructure development, mining and power generation will immensely damage the urban environment (Thanhnien News). Poor quality of urban air is already causing potential economic losses to the nation in the form of a marked fall in labor productivity and enhanced healthcare expenditure (Thanhnien News). As per a survey conducted by Department of Environment Protection, economic loss per capita in the provinces of Nam Dinh and Phu Tho owing to the urban air pollution stands to be VND 295,000 ($ 17.78) (Thanhnien News). This comes down to roughly 5 percent of the GDP per capita (Thanhnien News). The number of people admitted to hospitals in Hanoi suffering from pollution related respiratory diseases was 233 in 2005 (Thanhnien News). This figure ie expected to augment to 513 by 2010 (Thanhnien News). Air pollution in Vietnam is not only threatening to jeopardize its fragile ecosystem by causing climatic alterations like ozone layer depletion, greenhouse effect and acid rain, but also has a negative impact on the human health (Tung 3). The number of motorcycle owners in the urban centers annually increases by 15-18 percent (Tung 3). The number of car owners also augments by 8-10 percent per year (Tung 2004). As per Tung (3), the urban transportation in Vietnam burns 1.5 million tons of fuel annually, releasing a volume of exhaust gases equivalent to: (Tung 4) A tremendous increase in the number of motor vehicles and cars in the urban hubs as Hanoi and HCM have further worsened the situation, as is evident in the given graphs. (Tung 5) “Suspended Solid concentration in residential areas near industrial zones, highways and construction sites exceeds the acceptable standards by 1.5-3 and 10-20 times respectively (Tung 8). (Tung 8) The situation is grim and is urgently need of apt statutory and policy measures. The state should amend the air quality standards and monitoring systems must be put in place to access the levels of air pollution on a continuous basis (Brimblecombe & Maynard 72). Appropriate steps needs to be taken to educate and sensitize people about the issue under consideration. Use of energy efficient vehicles and environment friendly fuels should be encouraged and promoted. There is no denying the fact that economic and social development has led to a gross deterioration in the quality of urban air in the urban centers in Vietnam (Hopke et al. 111) . Besides threatening the environment, air pollution is also having a drastic impact on the quality of life and health of the urban residents. The need of the hour is to come out with appropriate policy measures to continuously measure and check the extent of pollutants in the urban air. Besides, steps needs to be taken to adopt environment friendly technologies and measures. III: Statement of Research Questions 1. What are the primary causes of urban air pollution in Vietnam? 2. What is the impact of urban air pollution on the health of the people? 3. What policy measures have been taken or should be taken to check urban air pollution in Vietnam? IV: Methodology The qualitative and quantitative research methods will be resorted to identify and access the impact of urban air pollution on the health of the citizens in Vietnam. Relevant published and online sources will be resorted to, to understand and classify the impact of urban air pollution on the human health. The same technique will be used to find out the policy measures taken by state and independent agencies in Vietnam to check air pollution. The required data will be collected from authentic, reliable and credible sources like the National State Environment Report, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Vietnam Environment Protection Agency, etc. V: Research Significance At present, Asia is the home to some of the most fast-paced economies. The social and economic development in Asia is expected to give way to potential environmental and health issues. While the developed countries have started resorting to environment friendly technologies and clean fuels to check and limit urban air pollution, the emerging economies in Asia like Vietnam are still predominantly relying on obsolete technologies and fossil fuels to generate growth. In that context, this paper will play a pivotal role in gauging the extent of urban air pollution in Vietnam, while accessing the resultant health issues and the nascent polices adopted to deal with the ensuing problems. Works Cited Brimblecombe, Peter & Robert L Maynard. Urban Atmosphere and its Effects. London: Celestial, 2001. Hopke et al. “Urban air quality in the Asian region”. Science of the Total Environment 40(1): pp. 103-112. Tung, Hoang Duong. “Air Pollution in Vietnam”. Vietnam Environment Protection Agency (VEPA), Hanoi, 2004. “Vietnam air pollution has gloomy outlook”. Thanhnien News.com. (14 August). 11 July 2009 Read More