Bangkok Residents Told to Stay Inside as Pollution Reaches Dangerous Levels

[hhfarang]

"Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha has urged those living in the Thai capital, Bangkok, to stay indoors as the city’s air pollution reached dangerous levels.

The air quality index, or AQI, climbed to 182 in Bangkok at 10:14am -- higher than the levels in Asia’s famously polluted metropolises of New Delhi, Beijing and Jakarta -- before falling back to 138 by 3 p.m., according to website AirVisual, which monitors air pollution around the world. Readings below 50 are considered safe, while anything above 300 is considered hazardous.

People living in areas with high pollution levels in Bangkok should avoid “unnecessary” outdoor activities or wear masks, Prayuth told reporters in Chiang Mai province Monday.

Southeast Asia’s second-biggest economy is rated as having some of the world’s most toxic air, caused mainly by construction, vehicle emissions, polluting factories and farmland burning.

The government’s agencies have taken urgent measures such as controls on construction sites and strict inspection of polluting vehicles, according to Puttipong Punnakanta, the government’s spokesman.

Thailand’s rainmaking department plans to try and spark precipitation from Tuesday in an effort to disperse pollutants, though officials said low atmospheric moisture levels pose an obstacle.

https://news.yahoo.com/bangkok-resident ... 50792.html

[nil]

It’s also quite bad here.

[caller]

When I drove out of Bkk back to HH last Monday, I was shocked when crossing the river, to physically see how bad it was. It was just a dull, bluey grey cloud really and visibility was very poor. I was glad to be getting out.

[Nereus]

Really? The instigator of the water pushing boats has a new toy:
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Haze puts city on red alert

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... -red-alert

The government is stepping up efforts to fight the worsening, detrimental effects of air pollution caused by the fine dust that has blighted Bangkok and surrounding areas since late last year.

Bangkok firefighters on Monday 'soaked the sky' with high-pressure fire cannons in front of City Hall - a short-term measure to address the hazardous air pollution in the city. (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)

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Authorities are set to deploy two aircraft with artificial rainmaking technology to attempt to create downpours in the east of Bangkok Tuesday evening, with the aim of clearing the air in one of the worst-hit quarters of the city.

According to the Pollution Control Department (PCD), various areas of Bangkok and its vicinity are suffering a huge volume of PM2.5 pollution particles that exceeds the Thai safety limit of 50 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³).

PM2.5 levels in the city ranged between 70 and 100 µg/m³, according to readings taken by 10 air quality stations in Bangkok at 6pm Monday.

Surasee Kittimonton, chief of the Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation Department, said that, depending on weather conditions, rainmaking is likely to be conducted begin Tuesday and run until at least Friday.
Two rainmaking Casa aircraft will be deployed from Rayong airport, he said.

"The rainmaking will be conducted in Chachoengsao and it is expected that rain will fall in Bangkok in the evening," said Mr Surasee. "Rain will fall in the eastern areas, such as Bang Na, Sai Mai, Lat Krabang and Bang Kapi."

Meanwhile, Royal Thai Air Force chief Chaiyapruk Didyasarin instructed his disaster mitigation unit to dispatch two BT-67 aircraft to Wing 6 in Don Muang district to be fitted with equipment to release a fine aqueous mist over affected areas, according to air force spokesman AM Pongsak Semachai.

The target areas and flight plans will be ironed out once the planes are ready, the spokesman said.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was moved to speak on the issue during his trip in Chiang Mai after reports highlighted the risks to health that the fine particles can cause.

"Campaigns must be raised to promote the use of face masks and water must be sprayed in the areas where the volume of dust is beyond the safety limit," said Gen Prayut, adding that the causes of the problem must be addressed too.

The Public Health Ministry has been instructed to hand out N95 face masks to people in the worst-hit locations, Mr Buddhipongse said.

Standard face masks do not provide sufficient protection against such fine particles, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang said he has teams working on both short- and long-term measures to address the problem.

The BMA will continue to clean roads, pavements and routes where the construction of electric train projects is under way as well as spray water into the air, he said.

"Construction sites will be told to find ways to prevent the spread of dust and people will be banned from burning rubbish or grass outdoors," he noted.

In the long run, electric train construction projects must be expedited to reduce air pollution, he said.
According to the governor, 10,000 N95 face masks will be provided to people in areas where levels of PM2.5 pollutants are high, including Lumpini, Bang Khunthian, Chatuchak and Ratchaprasong.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the National Council for Peace and Order's secretariat office on Monday also discussed air pollution in Bangkok. The meeting was chaired by deputy army chief Nattapol Nakpanich.

According to deputy army spokeswoman Sirichan Ngathong, Gen Nattapol instructed officers to map out short-, medium- and long-term plans to deal with the issue.

Col Sirichan added that 60 military fire engines would begin spraying water in various city areas last night, including Silom, Sathon, Witthayu and Pratunam areas. This operation will run until at least Wednesday evening.

Manas Kamnerdmanee, deputy chief of the Royal Irrigation Department, said local administrative bodies must inform condo and high-rise constructors to install sprinklers to help clear PM2.5 particles from the air around their sites.

Boonrak Yodphet, secretary-general of the Office of Basic Education Commission, said he had instructed schools in affected areas to avoid allowing students to participate in outdoor activities for the time being.

[brianks]

I lived in So. California until I moved here. Went through all the bad pollution in the 50's and 60's. Only thing that made it better were severe laws and regulations that brought the pollution level down. So far I have heard nothing about what the politicians are proposing to do to get this pollution in BKK and surrounding areas under control. It won't go away by itself unless something is done to eliminate/restrict the sources of pollution. I don't know how much the government could do knowing its past non enforcement of laws already on the books. It ain't going to get any better folks.

[Nereus]

Interesting machine shown in Bangkok spraying the air:

http://www.luf60.at/ff-luf60-technische-daten/?L=1

[Nereus]

I lived in So. California until I moved here. Went through all the bad pollution in the 50's and 60's. Only thing that made it better were severe laws and regulations that brought the pollution level down. So far I have heard nothing about what the politicians are proposing to do to get this pollution in BKK and surrounding areas under control. It won't go away by itself unless something is done to eliminate/restrict the sources of pollution. I don't know how much the government could do knowing its past non enforcement of laws already on the books. It ain't going to get any better folks.

It is no different to anything else here, such as the road toll. Just yesterday in Bangkok driving in one of the areas mentioned, an ancient old Isuzu truck passed me and COMLPETELY enveloped myself and everyone in the vicinity in thick black smoke. It is a regular occurrence, and no test instruments are needed, just some common sense from the police to stop it. Not going to happen.

[Lost]

As you land in Bangkok it's always a bit smoggy. I remember being disappointed a while back as I was expecting shining sunlight...tropical beaches and the like. The sun can't really break through the smog in Bangkok (hot, warm but grey sky). Bit like places in China.

If the air is at 'dangerous levels' though, it's not something that's going to go away in 24 hours. Try 6 -12 months.

[Nereus]

Govt is choking in response to toxic haze crisis

https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opi ... aze-crisis

Bangkok is not only shrouded by fine dust pollution but also layers of incompetence that have left it powerless to fight any major challenges, whether they are toxic haze, recurring floods or perennial traffic snarls.

For most people, the microdust problem which has persisted since December has become a crisis. At one point, Bangkok ranked the ninth worst city in the world for air pollution, worse than Beijing in China, according to the AirVisual application which provides a real-time air quality index.

Four hashtags on the microdust problem topped Twitter trending Monday, with information from users that the pollution is not only concentrated in Bangkok but covering many areas around the country including Khon Kaen, Pattaya and Rayong.

Some netizens said the dust has been visibly thick for three weeks but nothing seems to have been done about it. Others said they have suffered from respiratory problems and N95 masks that can filter out fine or ultrafine dust are not cheap.

One gave a sarcastic remark that every day in Bangkok is good.... Good that you haven't died yet. Another said living in the city is like being in a survival game where you have to fend for yourself to stay alive.

As the choking haze continues to envelop Bangkok and other parts of the country, the city's administrators and government remain tongue-tied.

Except for updating the population that bad air days are here to stay, or that the fine dust pollution will get worse, the authorities have come up with no tangible countermeasures. They told the public that the haze has reached a toxic level but seem to leave people to decide for themselves what to do.

Of course, they did tell people to wear masks when venturing outside, to curb activities that exacerbate the air quality problem such as rubbish and grass burning and to alert authorities if they come across cars belching black smoke.

Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha issued a mundane order for agencies to cooperate to tackle the problem, with measures including washing streets every day, spraying water, monitoring emissions and initiating artificial rain operations where possible.

Spraying water to get rid of hazardous dust particles that have reached a crisis level? If this advice does not sound clueless enough, the PM concluded that he believes the situation will become better shortly.

His wishful thinking was met with ridicule from netizens who asked the PM which prayer they should recite as they mocked his earlier comment that Thailand was spared from tropical storm Pabuk because he prayed for it to go away.
The government's responses are pathetic, even for a temporary smog problem. In the face of the fine dust crisis, the delayed, meagre and incoherent responses reveal how unprepared and unprofessional the authorities are when it comes to environmental challenges or any complicated problems for that matter.

Online users and ordinary citizens sound much more reasonable as they come up with suggestions on what City Hall and government can do.

An immediate response could be for health or city authorities to announce more specific guidelines to help citizens avoid the toxic dust. For example, at what levels of air pollution should public events be cancelled? In Seoul where so-called yellow dust pollution was a number-one concern, the city authorities introduced an ordinance compelling kindergarten and elementary schools to either shut down or reduce class hours and cancel field trips when the weather bureau issues the highest alert. Outdoor public facilities are also off limits.

City Hall or the government could give away appropriate masks to vulnerable groups as an immediate relief measure. For a long-term solution, they have to tackle the pollution at its sources. Construction sites, cars, factories. These are major sources of the fine dust problem and they need to be curbed.

Since the Pollution Control Department has admitted that the toxic haze problem will continue for at least a month, mandatory measures are necessary. It's time for everyone to make a sacrifice to ensure that we do not need to wear gas masks before going out. Pull half the number of private cars off Bangkok's streets by alternating between odd and even licence plate numbers if necessary. Enforce a special toll or traffic congestion charge in heavily polluted areas.

Suspend work at construction sites for a period of time if they emit more pollutants than allowed.

No doubt these long-term measures will be extremely unpopular as they will restrict people's lifestyles and behaviour. But this is what the military regime's absolute power should be good for.

Or PM Gen Prayut can release a new song to soothe us. He must do something soon because we are almost out of breath.

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[Dannie Boy]

I don’t visit Bangkok very often but 10-15 years ago when I was a slightly more frequent visitor, I would invariably end up with some form of throat problem and I’m sure that the pollution is even worse now. As already mentioned, there are far too many vans, lorries and busses belching out black smoke and nobody in authority prepared to tackle the issue.

[oakdale160]

The Forum truly is a forum where we discuss the problems of Thailand and particularly HH. And quite rightly we are discussing this emerging problem. But of course, we ALL know that there will be a number of highly reported meaningless gestures, firing water cannons in the air is a nice one, but nothing will be done to tackle the problem.

[Nereus]

Some of this crap in unbelievable. It may keep a few cement trucks away, but construction sites already use washdown facilities at the entrance / exit from a site.
And I suppose the construction companies will continue to pay stood down staff?
But the best part is the following:
"Referring to other measures, Mr Arkhom said 2,075 diesel-powered city buses would have their engine lubricating oil changed within two days to prevent them belching black exhaust fumes."
Black smoke is the result of incomplete fuel combustion, either from poorly maintained fuel injectors or pumps.
BLUE or white smoke comes from worn out engines burning their lubricating oil. Maybe clean oil will produce cleaner pollution!
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Construction halted to curb toxic smog

https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/genera ... toxic-smog

Construction of electric train projects in Bangkok has been halted for seven days as the government scrambles to combat the toxic haze shrouding the capital.

Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith said Wednesday the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand (MRTA) was instructed to tell contractors to put on hold activities that whip up dust until next Tuesday.

They also need to clean construction sites and nearby roads, he said.
Lorries entering and leaving construction sites must have their wheels washed down too, he said.

Building work, including the laying of construction foundations, for the Orange, Pink and Yellow lines are causing increased dust levels, he said, adding that Chaeng Watthana, Srinakarin, Lat Phrao, Ramkhamhaeng and Ram Intra roads have been hit hard by the pollution.

Referring to other measures, Mr Arkhom said 2,075 diesel-powered city buses would have their engine lubricating oil changed within two days to prevent them belching black exhaust fumes.

The Department of Land Transport will send out 18 teams to check on the condition of buses. If they emit black smoke, they will not be stopped in their tracks, he said.

By next month, the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority plans to use more environmentally friendly B20 biodiesel for its buses, the minister added.

Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon said the air quality in Bangkok has improved and there is no need at the moment to halt classes in schools.

Completion of some electric train projects over the next two or three years will help ease the dust problem, he said.
The volume of fine particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, known as PM2.5, dropped to a range of between 41 and 62 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³), according to readings taken by 10 air quality stations in Bangkok at 6pm on Wednesday. The so-called safety limit is 50 µg/m³.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment also floated the idea of letting staff at state agencies in Bangkok work from home to help combat air pollution.

The proposal was brought up Wednesday at a meeting of agencies regarding the dust problem plaguing the city.

"We will propose the idea to Deputy Prime Minister Chatchai Sarikulya who will chair the meeting on PM2.5 today," Mr Wijarn said.
"The idea will be kept in reserve for a crisis situation only," he said.

[handdrummer]

It would be funny if it wasn't so sad and pathetic.

[REEM]

....and the haze that has enveloped Hua Hin the past few days?

is that pollution that has drifted down from the bangkok area, or is it just harmless mist.

[Big Boy]

I was sat outside the International School on Tuesday afternoon, and the hill beyond the golf course became very hazy for about 10 minutes. It was like a fog obscuring it.