Travellers to Thailand over Lunar New Year face smog blanketing Bangkok
- Pollution Control Department issued 52-page national action plan but it is unclear how many, if any, of the measures it suggested were implemented
- About 800,000 visitors from China were expected to visit over Lunar New Year, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand
Unhealthy levels of smog have choked Bangkok for more than a week, as the Thai capital’s residents fume over the ineffectiveness of government measures to combat the problem.
It coincides with Lunar New Year, when about 800,000 visitors from China were expected to visit the country, according to the Tourism Council of Thailand.
As thick haze blanketed the city on Monday, pollution levels soared to 95 micrograms per cubic metre of PM 2.5 particle at noon in some areas, according to the government’s Pollution Control Department, which described that level as very unhealthy. The maximum level considered safe by the government is 50.
PM 2.5 particles are small enough to penetrate deeply into the lungs, which can cause both short-term bronchial problems as well as serious long-term health issues.
Bangkok’s smog crisis results from still air and an excessive amount of ultrafine dust from vehicle emissions and other activities, Pollution Control Department Director-General Pralong Damrongthai explained in a press release on Monday. He said smog is being trapped close to the ground by a blanket of warm air in what meteorologists call an inversion.
Bangkok residents have grown frustrated with the lack of progress in improving the situation. A survey by the National Institute for Development Administration released on Sunday showed 81 per cent of the 1,256 local residents questioned agreed the government is ineffective in solving the problem. Only 2.7 per cent of respondents approved of the government’s efforts.
