From smog to serenity: Bangkok’s Benjakitti Park breathes new life

Bangkok, former home to a sprawling industrial estate, where Thailand’s state-owned tobacco monopoly churned out millions of cigarettes for over half a century, emerges from the smog. Benjakitti Park, an urban oasis, has rapidly become a beloved haven for Bangkok’s 11 million residents.

Officially opened in August 2022 to honour Queen Sirikit’s 90th birthday, the now 40-hectare Benjakitti Park boasts a 1.6-kilometre elevated walkway known as the Skywalk, water-purifying wetlands, 8,000 new trees, sports courts, and a dog-walking zone.

The Skywalk is a particular hit among the youth, who flock to the park at sunset to take selfies and enjoy the cooler evening air, said Pongsaton Tatone, a freelance photographer.

“Benjakitti Park is at the top of my list of places to take pictures. It’s a very popular spot.”

Adding significant green space to a densely populated Southeast Asian city is rare, but Bangkok’s new parkland nearly doubles the size of the original Benjakitti Park, which includes a lake and jogging path.

This US$20 million (approximately 724 million baht) expansion addresses the city’s dire need for green space, as a 2022 report highlighted Bangkok’s shortfall against the World Health Organisation’s standard.

The transformation began in the early 1990s when the government designated the tobacco factory site for parkland. However, it took decades before the state-owned company relinquished the land.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who oversaw the project’s acceleration during the pandemic, military personnel were enlisted to expedite the construction.

Landscape architect Chatchanin Sung praised the soldiers’ efforts, noting their pride in the park. The new wetlands feature an innovative water purification system using a sewage-contaminated canal, turning foul water into clean irrigation in just four days. The park has become a self-sustaining ecosystem, attracting storks, herons, and other wildlife, reported Japan Times.

Of the old tobacco factory, only four buildings remain, repurposed as sports facilities with open designs that integrate nature into their structures.

“If you stand in the building, you can see the nature all around you.”