A view of the city skyline amid air pollution in Bangkok on Feb 15, 2024. - AFP
BANGKOK: Officials from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) have been instructed to work from home from Feb 15 to Feb 16 to minimise health problems and reduce pollution from traffic emissions.
The order on Feb 14 was prompted by dangerously high levels of PM2.5 across the capital.
PM2.5 refers to dust particles 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter, long-term exposure to which is linked with chronic diseases including lung and heart problems.
PM2.5 readings at 11am on Feb 14 stood at 75 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) in more than 20 districts of Bangkok, double Thailand’s safety standard of 37.5µg/m³ for a 24-hour average.
PM2.5 readings of 75µg/m³ or higher are deemed “dangerous to health”.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the BMA called on its 150-plus agencies and private partners in the capital to consider allowing their staff to work from home on Feb 15 and Feb 16. He estimates that this would result in some 60,000 people staying at home for two days.
Schools in metropolitan Bangkok will hold classes until Feb 16 as usual, Chadchart added, noting that schools are already under the city’s Safety Zone where measures have been implemented to minimise the impact of pollution. These moves include handing out of safety masks and cancelling outdoor activities if necessary.
The Pollution Control Department has predicted a surge in PM2.5 levels in Bangkok and Central Thailand from Feb 14 to Feb 17 due to air stagnation and a rising number of hot spots from outdoor fires in the north and north-east of Thailand as well as in Cambodia.
The department said smog created by these fires will eventually be brought to metropolitan areas by easterly and north-easterly winds.
People in Thailand can check the state of air pollution through the AirBKK app. Bangkok residents can also report pollution sources via BMA’s Traffy Fondue app. - The Nation/ANN
