The sun is seen through hazy skies over Bangkok on Jan 9. Forecasters say air pollution in the Thai capital is expected to worsen this week. - AFP
BANGKOK: Residents in the Thai capital Bangkok are bracing themselves for rising levels of PM2.5 pollutants this week, Thai media reported on Jan 15.
Forecasters say the situation is expected to worsen until Jan 17.
The country’s Pollution Control Department (PCD) has urged people to work from home until that date to avoid the worst of the pollution.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has asked schools to establish dust-free rooms at all kindergartens and schools, the Bangkok Post reported. The agency is also stepping up inspection of all pollution sources within the city.
PM2.5 pollutants are fine inhalable particles that generally have diameters of 2.5 micrometres or less. These are dominant during haze episodes and have been linked to lung cancer and heart disease.
PCD director-general Preeyaporn Suwanakate said the concentration of these pollutants is increasing due to poor air circulation in many areas of Bangkok.
It is largely due to a combination of low atmospheric pressure and fluctuating wind patterns in the region, she said.
Bangkok is currently experiencing winds from the south, which are expected to be replaced by winds from the east and north-east, Ms Preeyaporn said, adding that they would transport pollutants from other regions into the city.
Thailand experiences the effects of forest fires from within the country and those neighbouring it, The Nation Thailand reported. They usually peak in the latter months of the year and the beginning of a new year.
Satellite imagery from Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency recorded at least 1,000 hotspots between Jan 9 and 11, Thai news website Thaiger reported.
In the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai, farmers have been advised to only plough their rice fields ahead of the planting season, instead of burning rice straw, which worsens haze pollution.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin also plans to discuss the issue with his Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet during the latter’s visit to Thailand on Feb 7.
According to the Bangkok Post, Srettha had previously said that the two countries are to establish a joint task force to combat transboundary haze. - The Straits Times/ANN
