Air quality in Tinh Lam Dong

What is the level of air pollution in Tinh Lam Dong?

Tinh Lam Dong is a Vietnamese province located in the central highlands, its capital being the city of Da Lat. According to the results recorded by the monitoring system, the average air quality index of Tinh Lam Dong province was about 48 US AQI, which puts it in the green level. This is considered a good indicator and, as such, does not adversely affect human health. The number always indicates a good level at all times of the day. And even, when compared to other provinces, Tinh Lam Dong is still the place with the best and safest air index measurements.

The air quality in this area is very good when compared to the two big cities of Hanoi, in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south. In comparison, Hanoi records a US AQI figure of 154 whereas Ho Chi Minh City records a level of 107. The Da Lat figure is an impressive 46. In September 2019 Hanoi was declared the most polluted city in South East Asia with a US AQI measurement of 204! When compared to other tourist destination in Vietnam, Da Lat is always the best.

Can the air quality in Tinh Lam Dong be improved?

It is imperative that the waste treatment plant that was inaugurated in 2015, should become more efficient. In the four years that the plant has been in production, only 40 per cent capacity has ever been achieved. Because of this under capacity, the balance of garbage has to be returned to Cam Ly landfill site, but with a volume of between 110 and 140 tons per day, the facility soon became overwhelmed.

Currently in Lam Dong, apart from the Da Lat garbage recycling plant, there is a waste treatment plant in Bao Loc city. In the process of waste treatment, there are often by-products such as fertilizer and block bricks which can be very useful.

Da Lat city will level the garbage spilt around the city and households are encouraged to cover the garbage and plant trees over it. The planting of these trees will help clean the air and prevent dust from blowing.

Residents need to be aware of steps they can take to improve the air quality in Tinh Lam Dong. They need to be encouraged not to litter the streets or burn unwanted garbage. Planting trees and other greenery helps clean the air. The increased use of public transport is very beneficial as it reduces the number of private vehicles in use. Clean, unadulterated fuel is to be also encouraged. It is commonplace in countries such as Vietnam to mix gasoline with cheaper hydrocarbons to use as fuel. Hydrocarbons can be cheaper because they carry little or no tax. This is something that the government could soon redress.

What health implications are there of breathing poor quality air in Tinh Lam Dong?

People's lives in Yet Kieu residential group, ward 5, Da Lat city, Lam Dong province are being turned upside down because of the smell coming from the local chicken farms. When the sun is shining, the house smells awful, and in the rainy season, flies fill the house. There are 3 chicken farms here that concentrate on egg production and the owner of two of them has asked the government for help to relocate his premises to land beyond the suburbs. As yet nothing has happened and the chickens remain.

Greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO²), nitrous oxide (N₂O) and methane (CH₄) are the main emissions from chickens. Ammonia (NH₃) is also produced in significant quantities which is both directly and indirectly hazardous to health.

PM2.5 particles are thought to be the most deadly because they have the most negative impact on human health. Because of its very small size, PM2.5 dust is very dangerous, able to deposit, absorb and go deep into the alveoli at the base of the bronchial tubes and eventually into the blood. Each day we breathe about 10,000 litres of air or even more if participating in strenuous activity. Therefore, if the PM2.5 dust concentration in the air is high then the daily exposure level is large and increases the risk of acute and chronic health problems. According to data released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2016, over 60,000 people in Vietnam died from heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pneumonia. Coal-fired industries, internal combustion engines and thermal power plants, along with the use of solid fuels such as honeycomb charcoal, are major sources of air pollution. Air pollution continues to increase at an alarming rate and affects the economies and the quality of life of people who are subject to it.

In addition to ambient air pollution, air pollution from household smoke is a huge health risk to the 3 billion people who cook and heat their homes with biomass fuel, honeycomb charcoal and coal. . Approximately 3.8 million premature deaths could be attributed to household air pollution in 2016. Household air pollution is also a major source of ambient air pollution in both urban and rural areas.

What are the main sources of air pollution in Tinh Lam Dong?

According to data from the agriculture and rural development sector of Lam Dong province, the province currently has nearly 300,000 hectares of agricultural land and over 350,000 hectares of cultivated land. The amount of agricultural waste dumped into the environment every year is very large which, if not handled properly, will greatly affect the lives of the residents. Agricultural waste produced during processing includes plant residues, waste from manufacturing processes such as trays, plastic trays, foam blisters, fertilizer bags and pesticide bottles. When there is heavy rain, bottles and other lightweight material and agricultural waste overflows into lakes and streams.

The area around Tinh Lam Dong is greatly suited to agricultural use due to its temperate climate. Fruit, vegetables and flowers grow in abundance here and are shipped all over Vietnam and also exported to neighbouring countries, such as Cambodia. With this huge amount of produce being handled, it is obvious that the resultant garbage produced is huge too. The produce has to be transported out of the area using gasoline-burning trucks and lorries.

In one particular area that concentrates on growing flowers, it seems to be common practice for the farmers to dump unwanted vegetation at the side of the river. During the rainy season this vegetation, together with any garbage mixed in with it is washed towards the Xuan Huong Lake. There is a crude filter type system in place which uses a series of bars to trap the garbage thus preventing it from getting into the lake. This, in reality, has little or no effect because the garbage merely flows over the top of the bars.

Several years ago, a mountain of garbage from the landfill site at Cam Ly was washed away with the onset of the rainy season. As it moved downhill it swamped everything in its path including greenhouses, vegetable gardens and agricultural equipment. A total of seven hectares of land was covered by this landslide. A solution was offered when a solid waste treatment plant was inaugurated not far from Da Lat City. This plant went into operation in 2015 using modern technology to burn and recycle most of the waste to make microbiological fertilizer, block bricks and fuel oil amongst other things. The Cam Ly landfill site was then officially closed.

Unfortunately, the waste treatment plant did not perform as well as expected and the landfill site was forced to reopen. Decaying waste from this landfill site creates gases which contribute to the poor air quality in this area.

What advice can be given to those suffering from poor air quality in Tinh Lam Dong province?

When the air quality is poor and the dust levels are high, the first and most obvious people affected by it are patients with pre-existing respiratory conditions. The patient will find it harder to breathe, cough more, and feel pressure in the chest. Studies show that in times of extreme weather or high air pollution, the frequency of patients hospitalized for respiratory and cardiovascular reasons is higher. Therefore, it is recommended that people with respiratory illnesses should not go outside when it is not really necessary, especially during times of heavy air pollution. The wearing of a good quality mask is always recommended if going outside is unavoidable.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), air pollution is thought of as a silent killer. They estimate that around 30 per cent of cancer victims are related to exposure to poor quality air.

For patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it is necessary to adhere to and maintain the daily medication as prescribed by their doctor. At the first sign of breathing difficulties, the patient must contact their doctor and take advice.

Avoid taking exercise nearby busy roads especially not near congested intersections. Consider walking through shopping malls if they are close by. The quality of their air is often much better than that you would breathe outside.