15-1-2024 (BANGKOK) The residents of Bangkok, the Thai capital, are preparing for an increase in levels of PM2.5 pollutants this week, according to reports from Thai media on January 15.
Forecasters have warned that the situation is expected to worsen until January 17.
To mitigate the impact of the pollution, the country’s Pollution Control Department (PCD) has advised people to work from home until that date.
In addition, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has requested schools to establish dust-free rooms in all kindergartens and schools, as reported by the Bangkok Post. The agency is also intensifying inspections of all pollution sources within the city.
PM2.5 pollutants are fine inhalable particles with diameters of 2.5 micrometres or less. They are most prevalent during haze episodes and have been linked to lung cancer and heart disease.
Preeyaporn Suwanakate, the director-general of the PCD, stated that the concentration of these pollutants is rising due to poor air circulation in many areas of Bangkok. She attributed this to a combination of low atmospheric pressure and fluctuating wind patterns in the region.
Ms. Preeyaporn explained that Bangkok is currently experiencing southward winds, which are expected to be replaced by winds from the east and north-east. This shift is likely to transport pollutants from other regions into the city.
Thailand regularly faces the effects of forest fires both within the country and in neighboring regions, as reported by The Nation Thailand. These fires typically peak in the later months of the year and the beginning of the new year.
Satellite imagery from Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency recorded at least 1,000 hotspots between January 9 and 11, according to Thai news website Thaiger.
In the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai, farmers have been advised to avoid burning rice straw, which exacerbates haze pollution, and instead only plough their rice fields ahead of the planting season.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin plans to discuss the issue with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet during the latter’s visit to Thailand on February 7, as reported by the Bangkok Post.
Mr. Srettha had previously announced that the two countries would establish a joint task force to address transboundary haze concerns.
