Work from Home Orders Given as PM2.5 Air Quality Levels Hit Harmful Levels in Bangkok

Authorities issued a warning that PM2.5 air quality levels in Bangkok and nearby provinces had reached harmful levels on Thursday, ordering government employees in the capital to work from home for the next two days and encouraging others to do the same.

Crop burning, industrial pollution, and excessive traffic all contribute to air pollution, and a thick haze blanketed Bangkok’s skyline.

Swiss Air Quality Tracking Website On Thursday, IQAir said that the city’s fine inhalable particle level was 15 times higher than the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommended standard, ranking it as the world’s eighth most polluted city.

“It’s getting worse because there’s too much smoke haze,” explained 57-year-old motorbike taxi driver Kornpong Poprakun. “I feel itchy eyes because there’s a lot of dust, and breathing isn’t easy.”

The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda) reported unsafe levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) in 62 out of 77 provinces on Thursday morning. Bangkok had the highest level at 187.3 µg/m³.

The average PM2.5 air quality level in the capital was 75.2 µg/m³ in the last 24 hours.

The government’s safe air quality level for PM2.5 is 37.5 µg/m³, whereas WHO recommendations suggest 25 µg/m³.

Gistda announced at 11 a.m. on Thursday that 40 provinces have red (severely dangerous) levels of. In the last 24 hours, air concentrations ranged from 79.4 to 187.3 µg/m³. The safe threshold is 37.5 µg/m³.

The provinces with the greatest pollution levels after Bangkok were Samut Songkhram, Ratchaburi, Nonthaburi, Samut Sakhon, Phrae, Nakhon Pathom, Pathum Thani, Phetchaburi, Sing Buri, Saraburi, Chai Nat, Ang Thong, Uttaradit, Suphan Buri, Ayutthaya, and Samut Prakan.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told reporters that crop burning was the main cause of the increase, but that automobiles accounted for around a quarter of the pollution, which “we can control”.

Mr Srettha said the government should consider banning fossil fuel-powered vehicles in the capital to reduce pollution in the long run, and that the country’s electric vehicle (EV) policy was also important.

The Department of Health has issued a warning, predicting an increase in air pollution in Greater Bangkok in the coming days owing to stagnant air.

Thanu Wongjinda, secretary-general of the Basic Education Commission, stated that school directors can now close their classrooms in regions with red PM2.5 levels for up to a week and implement online teaching to protect pupils.

On Wednesday, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) requested that public and commercial entities allow their employees to work from home on Thursday and Friday.

In an effort to reduce traffic pollution, Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt directed staff in the Metropolitan Administration’s agencies to work from home, and urged other employees to do the same.

He stated that some regions of the city had high levels of pollution, and that officials were prepared to deal with the situation.

The government has provided farmers with subsidies to avoid burning and packages for cheaper electric vehicles, while lawmakers are discussing a clean air act for transportation, commerce, and agriculture to cut pollution on a larger scale.

Keywords: air quality alerts, air quality forecast, worst air quality in the world

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