Heading to Bangkok? 8 things to know about pollution menace in the city
Bangkok, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Thailand, is grappling with unhealthy pollution levels.
On Thursday, Thai authorities warned that pollution levels in the capital city and surrounding provinces have hit harmful levels and ordered government employees to work from home for the next two days, reported news agency Reuters.
According to IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company, levels of the most dangerous PM2.5 particles were more than 15 times the World Health Organization’s annual guideline.
What we know about pollution level in Bangkok:
Bangkok’s Air Quality Index (AQI) measured 156 on Thursday, with readings of over 163 in some areas. Since Monday, the AQI has been hovering between 121 to 160, according to the Associated Press.
A day before that Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said that at least 20 of Bangkok’s 50 districts were expected to have unhealthy levels of PM2.5 particles.
“I would like to ask for cooperation from the BMA network of about 151 companies and organisations, both government offices and the private sector,” he was quoted as saying by AFP, adding that more than 60,000 people were affected.
Thailand’s Department of Pollution Control has predicted that air pollution levels in Bangkok are likely to remain unhealthy until Saturday. It adds that most regions of the country, particularly the north and northeast, could experience high levels through the weekend.
The country’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin took wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that about 25% of Bangkok’s pollution is due to vehicle emissions.
He emphasised that the work from home directive is a short-term measure and added that government could temporararily suspensd construction work and limit the number of diesel cars in the inner city.
According to AP, Air pollution has been a problem for many years in Thailand’s north, where the burning of forests and agricultural waste are major contributing factors.
However, in recent years, the air quality in Bangkok has also begun to suffer greatly with extended periods of high pollution that have led to school closings and other disruptions.