Budget:  From 09/2004 to 06/2008 - CHF 3’417’000 (approx. US$ 2’736’000)

Line Agency: Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE)

Partners:

Vietnam Environmental Protection Agency of MoNRE, Department of Environment of MoNRE, Vietnam Register of Ministry of Transport, Hanoi Department for Natural Resources, Environment and Housing, Hanoi Transport and Urban Public Works Services.

Implementing Agency: Swisscontact, Zurich – Switzerland

Project Location: Hanoi – Vietnam

Background:

The positive socio–economic development process exerts a high pressure on environment and natural resources in Vietnam. In particular, urban centres are facing increasing pollution of water, soil and air. The deterioration of air quality is a consequence of increasing motorised traffic, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation.

Clean air is considered as a sub-sector of the sector “protection of the climate” within the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation's (SDC) Global Environment Program (GEP). The overall objective is to make a relevant contribution to improving air quality in order to better protect the health of the population and the environment against the adverse effects of air pollution. Poorer segments of the population and other vulnerable groups (e.g. the elderly, the children) often suffer most from the negative impacts of a deteriorating air quality and have fewer resources to cope with the negative impacts on health and the environment.

Overall Goal:

Contribute to prevent a possible further degradation of the air quality in Hanoi and its surroundings.

Current Objectives:

Develop policies related to mitigation of air pollution, including a national programme on vehicle emission reductions, clean air legislation and an air quality management plan for Hanoi;

Raise awareness of selected target groups with regard to air pollution problems, impacts and solutions, focusing on Hanoi and the surroundings;

Demonstrate the potential to reduce air pollution from stationary and mobile sources through pilot projects, particularly in the fields of clean trucks/buses, clean motorbikes, clean industries and clean construction;

Make a sound database available for Hanoi with regard to comprehensive emission inventory data, more reliable air quality monitoring data and simulation data from pollution concentration models.

Approaches:

The capacity of SVCAP partners involved in Clean Air Management on national and provincial/Hanoi level is built. This includes the promotion of inter-departmental and inter-disciplinary collaboration and bringing partners together with national and international experts in the relevant fields. The sound assessment of the current levels of awareness (baseline survey) and identification of strategic partners is the base for the planning and implementation of the awareness raising activities. As for the pilot projects and database components, partners are supported in developing the necessary concepts and tools, assisted in implementing the activities, e.g. through specific studies and/or trainings, and strengthened in the dissemination of the findings and results in an appropriate way to a wider audience, including policy makers and the general public.

Results Achieved and Expected:

Regarding to awareness raising, the concept and the general implementation plan has been developed and the baseline survey has been carried out. Further, a concept has been developed with regard to the whole air quality data and management system in Hanoi. Specific plans have been drafted for the automatic air quality monitoring system, for a diffusive sampling campaign, and for a first, pilot emission inventory.

Besides the concrete implementation of the above mentioned plans, the remaining project components will be started up i.e. policy reform and pilot projects.

Contact:

Swiss–Vietnamese Clean Air Program
Room 811, Trade Union Hotel
14 Tran Binh Trong
Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi

Tel.: +84 4 942 92 53 / +84 4 942 92 54
Fax: +84 4 942 92 55 
E-mail: svcap@swisscontact.org.vn