Dangerous Bangkok pollution levels reduced by recent rainfall: air quality director

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Dangerous pollution levels reduced by recent rainfall: air quality director

By Pratch Rujivanarom 
The Nation

 

 

Air pollution in Bangkok was reduced somewhat after Wednesday’s heavy rains helped clear the air after the capital suffered for more than a week from dangerously high levels of particulate pollution.

 

Pollution Control Department (PCD) on Thursday announced that the air pollution in Bangkok had already returned to below the city’s “safe standard” for particles sized at, or smaller than, 2.5 microns (PM2.5) thanks to the previous day’s downpour. 

 

The department said that the rise in PM2.5 levels in Bangkok was a seasonal problem, which usually occurred during the season shift from winter to summer. 

 

PCD Air Quality and Noise Management Division director Thalearngsak Petchsuwan said that the recent air pollution was related to very high levels of PM2.5 in Bangkok metropolitan area. They in turn resulted from the calm weather associated with the lack of wind during the change of seasons. 

 

The PCD’s air quality monitoring station at Phaya Thai District reported that Thursday’s PM2.5 daily average level was at 14.06 micrograms per one cubic metre of air, which was greatly reduced from Wednesday’s record at 86.17 micrograms. 

 

Thalearngsak explained that due to the lack of wind and sunshine in recent weeks, the air pollution generated from traffic and human activities in urban areas was trapped in the city and accumulated over time until reaching dangerous level.

 

However, he said that the air pollution will slowly resolve as the weather gets hotter and sunnier, in turn generating the wind needed to carry air pollution away from the city. “This phenomenon occurs every year, but this year we faced an abnormally long period of calm wind conditions, so the people noticed the problem,” he said. 

 

“We would like to encourage people to drive their private cars less and use public transport instead, as the main source of air pollution in Bangkok is from the heavy traffic.” 

 

Meanwhile, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) also ordered all 50 districts in Bangkok to tackle air pollution by regularly cleaning the streets and sprinkling water into the air. 

 

BMA also suggested those people who are vulnerable to air pollution stay indoors during this period. They also encouraged people to use public transport or ride a bike to help reduce polluting emissions.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30337150

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-01-25

[Thian]

Well when will BKK get the new buses??? It's VERY quiet about them, why is that? Is the budget still ready to be spent? Then why not call a buscompany and buy some good ones?

[wirat69]

14 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

“We would like to encourage people to drive their private cars less and use public transport instead,

So I leave my eco-friendly Toyota in the car park and they put on more 30-40 year old black smoke belching buses???

 

Sounds about right....

[Thian]

10 minutes ago, wirat69 said:

So I leave my eco-friendly Toyota in the car park and they put on more 30-40 year old black smoke belching buses???

 

Sounds about right....

My neighbours have Mitsubishi Fortuners and those things sound like a tractor...many times when they start i think the garbagetruck is coming in our soi. Those dieselsmotors must use technology of 30 years ago i guess, in Europe the newer diesels don't have that ancient sound and they are much cleaner.

 

Again, thailand is far behind the developed world.

 

 

[anon4637435435]

24 minutes ago, Thian said:

My neighbours have Mitsubishi Fortuners and those things sound like a tractor...many times when they start i think the garbagetruck is coming in our soi. Those dieselsmotors must use technology of 30 years ago i guess, in Europe the newer diesels don't have that ancient sound and they are much cleaner.

 

Again, thailand is far behind the developed world.

 

 

Thais modify the fairly clean diesels. They remove and replace the exhast with straight pipes from the turbo, reprogram the ecu to allow more boost and beyond.....therefore lots of wonderful black smoke for all....idiots!. All this pollution causing unnecessary behaviour actually kills brain cells and is well documented. Thais dont believe in responsibility and consequences so the dumb get dumber... Ive been here for a very long time and really see Thailand just not evolving and actually heading in to the darkages all be it with smart phones that will never have the word "pollution" ever googled. Someone elses problem that the rain thankfully is always the governments answer to solving the problem.

[anon4637435435]

The government and all regulatory officials including the police couldnt careless about thai people. In kanchanaburi where we have been for 3years pollution is getting worse because we complained it seems. Illegal charcoal manufacture, forest fires , rubbish burning and unnecesry field burning is out of control. The health effects seen where we are where people are dropping like flies from smoke related cancers and the evidence from ppm counters doesnt pursuade any thais. They dont care about thais. End of discussion. Its there country let them destroy it and hit em up with sanctions i think. It seems as simple as most people seem to be brain dead where we live. Pollution has already done so much damage. How do you explain dangers to an ignorant idiot?

We left bangkok because of the pollution but it was actually better than where we are now. Country is doomed unless people change but without brains and false egos theres no hope. 

[1337markus]

So its all OK as long as it rains? Rain fixes everything.

[Thian]

1 hour ago, 1337markus said:

So its all OK as long as it rains? Rain fixes everything.

 

But we can't see when the rain is coming, the Thai weather radar is hanging since 14 januari....mai pen lai....

[natway09]

Bangkok as a large city is very lucky in that it normally has a pretty good wind.

However this between season weather gives us like today still conditions which brings the chickens home to roost in that as the day wears on I can see from my 15th floor balcony  the pollution increasing

as the day wears on 

I agree that the Diesel trucks , pickups & buses contribute greatly ..Thank heavens they got rid of 2 stroke

motorbikes (well nearly all) or it would be really bad

[anon4637435435]

4 hours ago, 1337markus said:

So its all OK as long as it rains? Rain fixes everything.

Until it floods! Then the pollution fixes the floods. I think thats how it works...

[Jonmarleesco]

On 1/25/2018 at 4:45 PM, Jonathan Fairfield said:

“We would like to encourage people to drive their private cars less and use public transport instead ...'

Has he seen the black smoke many of the city's buses belch out?