BMA urges measures to curb air pollution

By The Nation

 

Photo from: www.facebook.com/aswinkwanmuang

 

All 50 district offices across the capital were told on Friday to spray water and clean roads in traffic-congested areas and under skytrain stations to help curb air pollution.

 

Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) governor Pol General Aswin Kwanmuang instructed said atfacebook.com/aswinkwanmuang/ that 19 districts including Bang Khun Thien, Bang Na, Bang Kapi, Din Daeng,Thon Buri, and Wang Thong Lang reported the amount of PM2.5 or particulate matters smaller than 2.5 microns beyond the safety limit of 50 micrograms per cubic metres on Friday morning. He instructed officials to spray water and prevent outdoor burning among various measures to reduce pollution.

 

"We have to admit this problem exists and partially it was because of transport infrastructural and condominium construction projects, road repairs, as well as black exhaust smoke from vehicles at traffic-congested areas at certain periods," Aswin said adding that the current drought and dry season also made the air prone to dust.

 

He insisted the city has been trying to solve the air pollution problem and the BMA had set a "one district, one clean-air road" policy. He cited Phayathai Road in Pathumwan or Chaeng Wattana in Lak Si, where there has been a crackdown on vehicles emitting black exhaust smoke, more frequent road-cleaning works, and the increase of green areas. 

 

Urging people to avoid outdoor activities or wear a face masks, he said people can also follow air pollution updates viawww.bangkokairquality.com.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30360903

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-12-21

I think they should park all the helicopters around the city and blow the smog away - similar to what they do with the boats during floods to push the water into the sea! 5555

Or just open all the windows in the Junta's offices, there will be plenty of hot air gushing out to clear the smog....

Good Idea... spray klong water into the air. 

Deep breaths everyone!

The safety limit for pm 2.5 is not 50 but just 12 micrograms per cubic metre.  

 

https://aqicn.org/faq/2013-09-09/revised-pm25-aqi-breakpoints/

 

Seems they confuse the air quality index with the pm2.5 microgram count.

 

Improving air quality is simple,  its not rocket science.  Just make particulate filters mandatory for all diesels (and check yearly), and create low emission zones,  in other words no diesels nor 2 stroke engines allowed in the city centre. This is what is being done in European cities to combat air pollution from traffic. 

 

The other source of air pollution is burning.  Just outlaw (and strictly enforce) all burning.  Do this and your air pollution problem is as good as solved.  Air pollution causes massive health problems, the cost of those, and loss of productivity,  is many times the cost of solving the problem. But it takes understanding and courage,  which are both in short supply in Thailand...

Edited December 22, 20187 yr by marc651

I think the air in Bangkok has gotten better over the years. 

The two stations nearest me on the www.bangkokairquality.com website don't even measure PM2.5. 

Can they just get these ancient busses off the roads!  What a disgrace to a "modern city".

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

BMA urges measures to curb air pollution

Measure:

"All BMA staff to exit the building and assemble out front. Turn head left, inhale, blow out. Turn head right, inhale, blow out. Return to work."

Crack down on the many, many smoke belching diesel vehicles with broken or removed particle filters instead. Good lord, man, how hard can it be to get to that conclusion.

Curb the number of the useless, but numerous taxis by half! (Why useless? Try to get, for example, a taxi from Sukhumvit to Morchit. They won't go there, cause it's "to far"...)

1 hour ago, mogandave said:

I think the air in Bangkok has gotten better over the years. 

Slightly better over the past 20 years.

I can’t speak to the last twenty years, but I would say significantly better in the last eighteen years, at least with respect to particulate matter.

Can they just get these ancient busses off the roads!  What a disgrace to a "modern city".

Most of the old busses have been converted to natural gas.

So to avoid being disgraced, a “modern city” should compel the poor to pay more for their transportation so that the rich have shiny busses to look at.

I think they do this in the “modern” cities of France, yes? How’s that working out?

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

All 50 district offices across the capital were told on Friday to spray water

This will be just about as effective as pissing into the wind - and it always will be primarily because Thai authorities never engage in proactive measures, but only reactive measures be it floods, air pollution, or traffic deaths on the roads.  Reactionary measures are the status quo, therefore, nothing ever changes. 

This will be just about as effective as pissing into the wind - and it always will be primarily because Thai authorities never engage in proactive measures, but only reactive measures be it floods, air pollution, or traffic deaths on the roads.  Reactionary measures are the status quo, therefore, nothing ever changes. 

It depends on what you want to do. If you want wet, stinky shoes, pissing in the wind is extremely effective.

Burning Rubbish & Garden Waste should be Policed by the Thesaban and heavy fines imposed throughout Thailand and Thais made away that Carcinogenic Vapours from burning Plastics give you Cancer and other  insidious health problems  and General Burning off also adds Pollution into our Atmosphere which created global Warming.

The navy Hospital at Sattahip has huge Bill Boards telling people not to burn Styrene and what causes it has on your Health, why does the Ministry Of Health start a Campaign nationwide informing the Population.

1 hour ago, marc651 said:

The safety limit for pm 2.5 is not 50 but just 12 micrograms per cubic metre.  

 

https://aqicn.org/faq/2013-09-09/revised-pm25-aqi-breakpoints/

 

Seems they confuse the air quality index with the pm2.5 microgram count.

 

Improving air quality is simple,  its not rocket science.  Just make particulate filters mandatory for all diesels (and check yearly), and create low emission zones,  in other words no diesels nor 2 stroke engines allowed in the city centre. This is what is being done in European cities to combat air pollution from traffic. 

 

The other source of air pollution is burning.  Just outlaw (and strictly enforce) all burning.  Do this and your air pollution problem is as good as solved.  Air pollution causes massive health problems, the cost of those, and loss of productivity,  is many times the cost of solving the problem. But it takes understanding and courage,  which are both in short supply in Thailand...

Good idea restrict diesel engines in the city. Since 90% of the vehicles on the road run on diesel traffic problem solved. Lol.

Thats a good idea take it out of the air put it into the ground, and then in a few years the groundwater is so poluted that there is a shortage of drinking water or whatever they use it for 

For anyone complaining, come to New Delhi...i agree with everyones comments by the way, but there is worse.  Not that worse condones/justifies Thailand pollution...

I am glad I live in the countryside of rural Isaan - except when the farmers burn rice stubble and sugar cane!

I'm sure this was announced last year,and the year before,and the year before that  etc etc etc.

 

1 hour ago, webcrawler00 said:

Can they just get these ancient busses off the roads!  What a disgrace to a "modern city".

They tried, but unfortunately the new, 'clean' ones fell victim to a tax fraud and last I heard were impounded on the Eastern seaboard

.

   Useless, empty talk.  If they were serious they would require all motorcycles in the city to be electric and all buses and taxis electric.  More rail cars on the mass transit lines and more frequent trains, and a massive improvement on the buses--which are truly horrible and a disgrace.  Once better transit is in place, taxes on private cars driving into certain areas of the city.

1 hour ago, Burma Bill said:

I am glad I live in the countryside of rural Isaan - except when the farmers burn rice stubble and sugar cane!

So they dont clean up much in your part of Isaan, in my part they do and they burn the rubbish on the roadside, plastics and all, I would love to start a composting company just with the leaves I could collect around my small town

3 hours ago, marc651 said:

The safety limit for pm 2.5 is not 50 but just 12 micrograms per cubic metre.  

 

https://aqicn.org/faq/2013-09-09/revised-pm25-aqi-breakpoints/

 

Seems they confuse the air quality index with the pm2.5 microgram count.

 

Improving air quality is simple,  its not rocket science.  Just make particulate filters mandatory for all diesels (and check yearly), and create low emission zones,  in other words no diesels nor 2 stroke engines allowed in the city centre. This is what is being done in European cities to combat air pollution from traffic. 

 

The other source of air pollution is burning.  Just outlaw (and strictly enforce) all burning.  Do this and your air pollution problem is as good as solved.  Air pollution causes massive health problems, the cost of those, and loss of productivity,  is many times the cost of solving the problem. But it takes understanding and courage,  which are both in short supply in Thailand...

Nop they will spray water to fix it..Soon Europe will copy them.

21 minutes ago, newnative said:

   Useless, empty talk.  If they were serious they would require all motorcycles in the city to be electric and all buses and taxis electric.  More rail cars on the mass transit lines and more frequent trains, and a massive improvement on the buses--which are truly horrible and a disgrace.  Once better transit is in place, taxes on private cars driving into certain areas of the city.

Hate to burst ya bubble but where does this massive amount of electricity come from to run all those things, see I get a tad tired of people saying electric this and that, you still have to produce it and cheaply, the only sources that meet that gives you more pollution than ya started with or a big headache trying to get nuclear ok'd.

Sorry, no enforcement, maintenance, accountability, quality control, will to improve...in this country~next

Edited December 22, 20187 yr by Redline

5 hours ago, marc651 said:

The safety limit for pm 2.5 is not 50 but just 12 micrograms per cubic metre.  

 

https://aqicn.org/faq/2013-09-09/revised-pm25-aqi-breakpoints/

 

Seems they confuse the air quality index with the pm2.5 microgram count.

 

Improving air quality is simple,  its not rocket science.  Just make particulate filters mandatory for all diesels (and check yearly), and create low emission zones,  in other words no diesels nor 2 stroke engines allowed in the city centre. This is what is being done in European cities to combat air pollution from traffic. 

 

The other source of air pollution is burning.  Just outlaw (and strictly enforce) all burning.  Do this and your air pollution problem is as good as solved.  Air pollution causes massive health problems, the cost of those, and loss of productivity,  is many times the cost of solving the problem. But it takes understanding and courage,  which are both in short supply in Thailand...

You nailed it. 

However..... you believe in miracles? 

Lord let it rain....... BRAINs

6 hours ago, marc651 said:

The safety limit for pm 2.5 is not 50 but just 12 micrograms per cubic metre.  

 

https://aqicn.org/faq/2013-09-09/revised-pm25-aqi-breakpoints/

 

Seems they confuse the air quality index with the pm2.5 microgram count.

 

Improving air quality is simple,  its not rocket science.  Just make particulate filters mandatory for all diesels (and check yearly), and create low emission zones,  in other words no diesels nor 2 stroke engines allowed in the city centre. This is what is being done in European cities to combat air pollution from traffic. 

 

The other source of air pollution is burning.  Just outlaw (and strictly enforce) all burning.  Do this and your air pollution problem is as good as solved.  Air pollution causes massive health problems, the cost of those, and loss of productivity,  is many times the cost of solving the problem. But it takes understanding and courage,  which are both in short supply in Thailand...

Whilst you're talking sense you're talking nonsense... this is Thailand.