Water cannons brought out to add humidity as authorities struggle with BKK smog

ThaigerPublished: 08:33, 24 December 2018| Updated: 08:33, 24 December 2018

233 1 minute read

Water cannons brought out to add humidity as authorities struggle with BKK smog

Bangkokians have at least another day to inhale unhealthy levels of air pollution after Sunday, the fourth consecutive day the city has been shrouded in smog.

On Sunday morning the measure of particulate matter in Tambon Pak Nam in Muang Samut Prakan was 93 micrograms per cubic metres, approaching what the WHO describes as ‘unhealthy’.

Advertisements

The Nation reported that Samut Sakhon earned an orange code with 90 micrograms, while the readings were 73 along Bangkok’s Soi Lat Phrao, 95 in Wang Thong Lang district and 72 on Paholyothin Road in Chatuchak.

In a bid to lessen the smog, city workers on Sunday sprayed water along the roads in Lumpini Park. To increase humidity, Bangkok Governor Pol General Aswin Kwanmuang ordered the use of high-pressure hoses that can shoot water 30 metres into the air, the first time they’ve been used. BMA deputy permanent secretary Wiparat Chaiyanukit was at the park cheering on the mission.

There has been little wind to blow away the smog, according to the Pollution Control Department (PCD). It warned that the air quality was unlikely to improve today and is urging people to stay indoors or wear an N95-rated facemask if they go out.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has ordered strict controls on outdoor burning and has officials advising crematorium operators about proper practices. PCD director-general Pralong Damrongthai said the PM2.5 level was unsafe in Phayathai, Din Daeng, Lat Phrao, Min Buri, Bang Khun Thien and Rama II Road. Residents there should take protective measures because the particulates – one-tenth the size of a human hair – enter the lungs and irritate the respiratory system, he said.

Traffic police are tagging vehicles issuing black exhaust with a sticker and ordering them off the road, Pralong said. The authorities could also bar large vehicles from inner Bangkok if the air pollution remains bad much longer, he said.