HANOI, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's capital Hanoi is preparing to install an additional 20 air-monitoring stations, according to the municipal official on Monday.
The additional air-monitoring stations will be installed at major traffic intersections and in crowded urban areas, Vietnam's state-run news agency VNA quoted Nguyen Trong Dong, director of the city's Department of Natural Resources and Environment as saying.
The installations would help agencies to issue timely air-quality warnings to local residents, said Dong.
The move came after several recent local reports blamed city authorities for not issuing any warning to residents despite a sharp plunge in the air quality for several days.
According to the environment department, there are six air-monitoring stations in the city, but only two are operational.
