pollution
- Thailand News
ASEAN air chiefs unite with RTAF to ‘clear the air’ in Thailand pollution battle
The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) is gearing up to join forces with its ASEAN counterparts to combat air pollution, specifically honing in on the issue of fine particulate matter PM2.5. This announcement took flight during the annual ASEAN Air Chiefs Conference in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, which concluded today, with a mission to ‘clean up’ the skies. The conference…
- Phuket News
Oil spill on Phuket beaches met with quick cleanup response
Late yesterday afternoon marked the start of a clean-up operation on the northwest shores of Phuket. Beachgoers were met with harrowing sight of oil and tar balls, accompanied by traces of oil slick that had made their unpleasant appearance on the beaches. The beaches targeted by the operation included locations at Nai Yang, Mai Khao, Nai Thon, and Layan. The…
- Thailand News
Thailand battles marine pollution with 507 tonnes of waste collected in 2020
Marine pollution issues have impinged on Thailand‘s coastal regions, with increasingly alarming statistics emerging, according to updates from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Throughout last year, there were reports of 22 oil spill events within the Gulf of Thailand, and an astonishing 507 tonnes of various waste gathered from surrounding seas, as noted by deputy government spokeswoman, Traisulee…
- Environment News
Thai Court holds PM and NEB accountable for escalating Chiang Mai pollution
The Administrative Court yesterday decreed that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and the National Environmental Board (NEB) were guilty of neglecting their duties in addressing the escalating toxic air pollution in the province of Chiang Mai. This denunciation originated from a case initiated by a local man named Wasuchart Pichai. Wasuchart argued that he has been adversely impacted by the haze…
- Thailand News
Thailand’s pollution control department to lower safe PM2.5 levels following WHO guidelines
The Pollution Control Department (PCD) yesterday announced plans to align with the World Health Organisation guidelines and reclassify the safe level for ultra-fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from 50 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m3) to 37.5 µg/m3 in an effort to address dust pollution concerns. Jatuporn Burutphat, the permanent secretary for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, expressed the ministry’s…
- Environment News
Chiang Mai’s haze crisis: Health and tourism at risk
The ongoing severe haze pollution in Chiang Mai has not only increased health risks for the inhabitants but has also negatively impacted its tourism industry. Affected parties are urging the government to implement long-term measures to address the issue, including the passage of a ‘clean air’ bill currently awaiting deliberation in parliament. The PM2.5 pollution affecting the upper northern provinces…
- Pattaya News
Songkran garbage plagues roads around Chon Buri beach
Garbage left from the Songkran holiday is plaguing the roads around a Chon Buri beach. Heaps of garbage have been covering the roads around Bang Saen Beach since Songkran celebrations ended on Monday. While most provinces in Thailand mark Songkran from April 13 to 15 every year, some provinces in Thailand’s eastern region celebrate the festival for a bit longer. Chon…
- Thailand News
Forest fire kills another firefighting volunteer in northern Thailand
A firefighting volunteer was tragically caught in the flames while extinguishing a forest fire in Nan province in northern Thailand yesterday, where a thick layer of smog continues to blanket the region. The body of 62 year old Sriwan Mirayot was found in the forests surrounding Doi Sa-ngud mountain in the Bor Suak subdistrict in Mueang Nan district. His fellow…
- Environment News
Chiang Mai tour operators concerned over pollution, bookings down 50%
Tour operators in Chiang Mai raised concerns after the latest tourism figures revealed bookings were down 50% after the popular tourist destination was ranked the world’s most polluted city. But that’s not all, respiratory diseases in the province continue to rise The air quality index produced by Swiss company IQAir revealed that Chiang Mai had a reading of 216 at…
- Environment News
Oriental dollarbird falls from the sky in Bangkok due to suspected PM2.5 poisoning
A sick Oriental dollarbird fell from Bangkok‘s polluted sky near Lumpini Park on Wednesday. Veterinarians examined the bird to find that it was suffering from severe pneumonia in both lungs. They suspected it was caused by PM2.5 dust pollution poisoning. Kaset Sudecha, a veterinarian from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Kasetsart University, posted a photo of the bird on…
- Environment News
Chiang Mai residents to get free face masks as dangerous air pollution soars
Chiang Mai residents are getting free face masks as dangerous air pollution in the province soars. Authorities say they will hand out the masks to the public as forest fires continue to pollute the air. The fires have been a problem for years as farmers continue to set ablaze fields to clear the way for the next crop cycle. Several…
- Environment News
Phuket residents call on authorities to investigate black water at beach
Phuket residents are calling on authorities to investigate after foul-smelling black water was found flowing into the sea at a beach. On Sunday, residents and tourists were shocked to find lots of black water pouring into the sea at Karon Beach near Nong Harn Lake. Swimmers rushed out of the sea after seeing the black water. According to The Phuket…
- Environment News
Pattaya’s air suffers unhealthy PM2.5 dust levels
Pattaya’s air is suffering from unhealthy PM2.5 dust levels. The health-hazardous dust level has risen to 174 microgrammes per cubic meter, far above the safety threshold of 50 microgrammes per cubic meter, The Pattaya News reported yesterday. AQI readings above 100 are considered “unhealthy” (red), above 200 are considered “very unhealthy” (purple) and beyond 300 are considered “hazardous.” The dust…
- Environment News
Graphic shows Thailand in top 10 countries with most ocean plastic waste
A new graphic shows that Asian countries, including Thailand, are among the top ocean plastic polluters due to mismanaged waste. The graphic by Louis Lugas Wicaksono is based on data from a 2021 research paper by Dutch academic Lourens JJ Meijer. The graphic shows a pie chart made up of plastic waste, labelling each country’s amount of ocean plastic waste…
- Environment News
Thailand’s plastic bag use plunges by 148,000 tonnes in 3 years
Thailand‘s use of plastic bags plunged by over 148,000 tonnes in about three years. The Pollution Control Department (PCD) launched campaigns in 2018 to cut the use of single-use plastic and plastic shopping bags, in cooperation with the Environmental Quality Promotion Department (EQPD). The campaign aimed to reduce the use of plastic bags by 43% by 2021. According to an…
- Thailand News
Chiang Mai tackles PM2.5 pollution with giant vacuum cleaner
Thailand‘s Disaster Department is testing out a giant vacuum cleaner as a way to tackle the PM2.5 dust pollution problem that plagues the northern city of Chiang Mai every ‘burning season.’ Every year, farmers around Thailand send their forests and fields up in smoke because it’s the cheapest way to prepare to plant new crops causing PM2.5 levels to shoot…
- Environment News
Haze Pollution Forces School Closures in Bangkok
Haze pollution is devastating Thailand’s capital city of Bangkok, and forced several schools to close yesterday. Schools such as Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Secondary School and Jindabamrung School temporarily closed their doors due to the respiratory impact on students and announced reopening on Monday. The Education Ministry has established coordination centres to monitor the PM2.5 situation and schools can exercise discretion…
- Environment News
Uncontrollable landfill site fire in Samut Prakan worsens air quality
Bangkok, Thailand, has seen the worst air pollution levels of the year so far today. An uncontrollable fire raging for two days straight at a rubbish dump in Samut Prakan province, just south of the capital, has pumped more PM2.5 dust into the air. A fire has plagued a landfill site in the Phraeksa district since Tuesday night in an…
- Hot News
Survey reveals tourists in Thailand worried most about taxi scams
A recent survey in Thailand revealed that tourists are worried most about taxi scams when moving about in the country. The Tourism Council of Thailand (TCT) conducted a quarterly survey, which polled 200 Western tourists in Thailand during the last quarter of 2022. According to Bangkok Post, the survey saw respondents rank taxi service satisfaction as the lowest (3.5 out of…
- Environment News
Truck smoke targeted over PM2.5 pollution
The Pollution Control Department (PCD) announced that they are ramping up efforts to control fine dust pollution in Bangkok and surrounding areas by increasing their scrutiny of public transport vehicles and trucks emitting smoke. The PCD Director-General Athapol Charoenshunsa stated that worsening PM2.5 pollution levels in the capital and its surroundings are partly caused by public transport vehicles that run…
- Environment News
Bangkok governor urges the capital to work remotely as pollution deteriorates
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt urged the capital’s workers and car drivers to stay at home and work remotely as the pollution levels continue to deteriorate in the city. The 56 year old city chief advised residents to refrain from going to the office, wear masks outdoors, and if drivers must travel, use public transport. “Residents should work from home if…
- Northern Thailand News
Northeast Thai farmer is ‘selling’ fresh air
One northeast Thai farmer is ‘selling’ fresh air. The farmer, 52 year old Dusit Kachai, charges visitors 1,000 baht per person for the first hour they stay at his farm. The farm is located on the edge of Chaiyaphum province’s Phu Laen Kha National Park, which has clean air, forests, and mountain streams. Dusit said… “The first hour costs 1,000…
- Environment News
Over 100 tonnes of garbage estimated near Phuket Fishing Port
Over 100 tonnes of garbage are estimated to have accumulated in a village near Phuket Fishing Port in Ratsada. The garbage has been building up for over 20 years and was recently brought to light through social media posts. The director-general of the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), Atthaphon Charoenchansa, visited the village yesterday. Attaphon spoke to villagers…
- Environment News
Environmental police arrest 7 over illegal dumping in Bangkok
Bangkok’s pollution problem is rearing its ugly head once again. Environmental police arrested and charged seven people over illegal dumping at 16 sites in the Thai capital. The chief of the Crime Suppression Division ordered environmental police to inspect 16 spots, following reports of illegal dumping causing foul-smelling air. The dumping also reportedly led to the spreading of germs to…
- Environment News
Bangkok dwellers float over half a million krathongs on Loy Krathong night
Bangkok dwellers floated more than half a million krathongs down the city’s waterways during the Loy Krathong celebrations last night. This year, there were as many as 572,602 krathongs. A spokesperson for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said that almost all of the krathongs, 548,086, were made from natural materials but added that 24,516 krathongs were made from foam. The…
- Environment News
Greenpeace study reveals most plastic cannot be recycled
A new study by Greenpeace reveals most of the plastic generated in the world today cannot be recycled. The report, Circular Claims Fall Flat Again, released yesterday, says that while paper, cardboard, and metals are all recycled at a high percentage rate, plastic fails on a massive scale. The Greenpeace study reported that households in the United States generated about 51…
- Thailand News
PM 2.5 pollution is on the rise in Thailand, warns health official
Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 pollution is on the rise in Thailand, especially in Bangkok, warns Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health Dr Opas Karnkawinpong. PM 2.5 particulates are tiny dust particles so small that thousands of them can fit into one full stop. Inhaling PM 2.5 is detrimental to human health as the minuscule particles travel deep into…
- Environment News
Phuket officials say contaminated seawater found last week not a hazard
Phuket officials insist that the contaminated seawater found last week in the south of the island has not caused environmental damage. The contaminated water was reportedly spotted near the Chalong Pier on October 13. It was spotted south of the pier leading to the Phi Phi Islands. After the contaminated water was reported, the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources…
- Bangkok News
Bangkok governor threatens city polluters with huge fines
Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt warned polluters of the capital that they face heavy fines if they’re caught pouring oil down the city’s drains. The 56 year old city chief notified residents in the metropolis that they will be slapped with a 10,000 baht fine for dumping oil into Bangkok sewers. The Bangkok governor was reacting to pictures circulating on social…
- Phuket News
Resort & local government to cooperate cleaning Phuket beach
Littering is a problem at many Phuket beaches, but several sectors are working together to fix this. There’s a new initiative between a resort, and the local government, to collect garbage on Kamala Beach. The initiative titled the ‘Proud Kamala Project’ is a joint project between the Kamala Sub-district Administrative Organisation, and the Intercontinental Phuket Resort. The two parties signed…
