(From right to left) French Ambassador to Việt Nam Bertrand Lortholary, President of Ile-de-France Region Valerie Pecresse and Hà Nọi People's Commitee chairman Nguyễn Đức Chung inaugurated an air quality monitoring system at the Embassy of France in Hà Nội on Tuesday. — VNS Photo Bích Hường

HÀ NỘI — An air quality monitoring system placed at the Embassy of France in Hà Nội – 57 Trần Hưng Đạo Street – started operation on Tuesday, raising the number of France-funded air quality monitoring systems in Hà Nội to 11.

The system would provide data to the city’s air quality monitoring network, said French Ambassador to Việt Nam Bertrand Lortholary at the launch ceremony.

The information is available at moitruongthudo.vn.

He emphasised that climate change was among priorities of co-operation between the two governments of France and Việt Nam and in particular, the France Embassy in Việt Nam and Hà Nội People’s Committee.

Valerie Pecresse, President of Ile-de-France region, said under the co-operation between the region and Hà Nội over the last 30 years, air quality was always a key field.

Under a co-operation project worth 1 million euros funded by the region, Hà Nội People’s Committee and the French Development Agency (AFD), dozens of such air quality monitoring systems were expected to be installed in Hà Nội.

She said the systems with technology provided by the ENVEA Group were expected to identify current causes for air pollution in the city so local authorities could take proper actions.

Similar systems and technology from ENVEA were used in Paris too, she added.

Information about Hà Nội's air quality is available at moitruongthudo.vn. — VNS Photo Bích Hường

In 2016, France helped Hà Nội install ten air quality monitoring systems across the city including those at Hà Nội Environmental Protection Agency and Hoà Bình Meteorological Centre.

This year and next year, Hà Nội plans to install an additional 95 air quality monitoring stations. To deal with air pollution, the city also plans to plant 600,000 trees by 2020. — VNS