Over 18,000 vehicles emit black smoke above safety standard
Over 18,000 vehicles have been found to emit black smoke exceeding the safety standard since the Air Pollution Administration Centre started testing random vehicles nationwide on October 1, said the centre’s communication chief Theerapat Prayoonsit on Wednesday (December 8).
“The campaign aims to tackle air pollution problems during cold season especially ones that caused by PM2.5 dust particles (particles less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter),” said Theerapat, who is also a permanent secretary at Prime Minister’s Office. “Of the vehicles that emit black smoke exceeding safety standard, 612 have been barred from usage until the issue is fixed.”
The centre has been working with the Pollution Control Department, Department of Land Transport and Traffic Police Division in setting up checkpoints to inspect emission rate of large and small vehicles in big cities such as Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
“We also dispatched officials to urge farmers to refrain from burning their fields after harvesting, which is one of the major sources of dust particles,” he said. “Vehicle users have also been told to keep their vehicles in good condition and only go out when necessary, especially during rush hours to protect their health from air pollution.”