Unsafe levels of PM2.5 ‘particulate’ cloud Bangkok and surrounding areas today. Phasi Charoen district, on the western side of the Chao Phraya, is the worst affected area, while other dangerous areas include: Phutthamonthon 1 Road in Taling Chan district, Lat Krabang Road in Lat Krabang district, Hirunrujee Road in Thon Buri district, and Charoen Nakhon Road in Khlong San district.
In Phasi Charoen district, smoke and dust particles in the atmosphere were between 56-99 microns, having peaked at 99 microns in the morning. In the other areas, there is a range between 85-87 microns. The upper safe level is considered to be 50 microns or lower.
Thailand’s Meteorological Department says in the country’s northern region, smoke and haze are accumulating, “due to weak air flow and lack of rainfall at this time of the year”. In that region, many fires have been detected, which are ‘hotspots’ for dangerous smoke levels.
The Pollution Control Department reported that air quality in Bangkok and its neighbouring areas is likely to improve from Tuesday, when air circulation is expected to increase.
Air dust has reached dangerous levels across Thailand in recent months. Thailand’s Chiang Mai province is infamous for having poor air quality every summer. Last month, the country’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency said that on Tuesday there were 1,060 hot spots across Thailand. 110 of the hotspots were in Chiang Mai province, and 92 were in Lampang province. The air quality in the North and Northeast was mostly due to farmers burning waste, and villagers lighting fires in forests.
But it’s not just northern Thailand having air problems. Last month, Phuket’s deputy governor Anupap appointed a committee to fight the severe dust pollution gripping the island province. Anupap stressed that forest fires are common during Thailand’s dry season, and they create fine particulate dust matter, PM2.5, in dust, soot, smoke, and liquid. He said with bad ventilation and low wind leading to bad air circulation, dust can build up and hurt people’s health, as well as society and the economy.
SOURCE: Thai PBS World