Smogged in: Bangkok wakes up to a PM2.5 breath of fresh despair
Bangkok and its neighbouring provinces awoke today to find themselves enveloped in a thick blanket of smog, as pollution levels reached dangerously high levels. The stagnant air trapped hazardous levels of PM2.5, leaving the city gasping for breath.
According to the Pollution Control Department, PM2.5 (tiny particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter) breached the safe threshold of 35 microgrammes per cubic metre in several areas of Bangkok and nearby provinces.
By 11am, today, October 8, readings across the capital ranged from 37 to 48.8µg/m3, with Sathorn district topping the chart. Neighbouring regions like Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, and Samut Sakhon were also suffocating under similar levels of smog.
In Samut Sakhon, Krathumbaen and Mueang districts recorded between 38.3 and 53.4µg/m3, while Nonthaburi’s Pak Kret district saw levels soar to 45.9µg/m3. Nakhon Pathom’s Mueang district followed closely with 46.1µg/m3. The worst hit, however, was the Mueang district in Kanchanaburi, where levels peaked at a shocking 58.8µg/m3.
The Meteorological Department of Thailand warned that the smog isn’t going anywhere soon, with the foggy haze expected to linger over Greater Bangkok until October 16.
As the capital braces for continued poor air quality, residents are urged to take precautions, especially those with respiratory conditions. Prolonged exposure to such high levels of PM2.5 can lead to serious health problems, including asthma, lung damage, and heart disease, reported Bangkok Post.
In related news, Chiang Mai, along with several other northern provinces of Thailand, woke up to alarmingly high levels of PM2.5, ranking fourth in global air pollution.
This report, provided by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), highlighted that 11 provinces were exposed to seriously harmful red-coded levels of particulate matter 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter (PM2.5).
In other news, a robust surge of PM2.5, particulate matter 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter, descended upon the Thailand capital Bangkok on April 11, setting the city apart as the only one battling seriously hazardous red-coded levels of fine dust pollution.
