Spike in air pollution blamed on hotspots in neighbouring countries
Intense burning of farm waste in neighbouring countries and the direction of the wind will possibly worsen air pollution in Bangkok and other parts of Thailand, a local social-media celebrity warned on Saturday.
In a Facebook post, Thon Thamrongnawasawat pointed to several hotspots to the east of Thailand, mostly in Cambodia and Laos, and a map of air current travelling from the eastern neighbours into Thailand.
“The map on the left shows hotspots caused by burning. There are not many in Thailand, but the number is huge in some neighbouring countries,” wrote Thon, who is also an expert in marine ecology.
He said cross-border dust will continue to be a big problem that is difficult to handle. Hence, he said, Thailand should focus on reducing PM2.5 pollution inside the country as much as possible by curbing engine smoke, promoting public transport and planting more trees. Particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter (PM2.5) and can be inhaled is very dangerous, especially for people with lung diseases and children.
PM2.5 readings were higher than acceptable levels in many parts of Bangkok on Saturday. Readings above the Thai safe standard of 50 micrograms per cubic metre of air (μg/m3) were recorded in 56 stations across the city – with some areas reading as high as 105μg/m3.
The World Health Organisation has set the safe level of PM2.5 at 25 μg/m3.