REPORT: Let’s nail down SMOG CAUSES

[rooster59]

REPORT: Let’s nail down SMOG CAUSES

By PRATCH RUJIVANAROM 
THE NATION WEEKEND

 

 

THERE ARE MULTIPLE SOURCES OF BANGKOK’S ANNUAL STRANGULATION, EXPERTS POINT OUT, AND WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND HOW EACH ONE CONTRIBUTES

 

THE SMOG that’s been gagging Bangkok is a combination of multiple elements and understanding each one is crucial to finding a long-term solution, say experts.

 

The capital has been blanketed much of the time in a dense smog of fine dust particles known as PM2.5 since the New Year began, posing a threat to public health as well as to city tourism and the economy. 

 

Chulalongkorn University and Greenpeace have cited as the main causes vehicle exhaust, emissions from small-scale power plants and factories, open burning and climate factors.

 

They stressed that a full understanding of each pollution source and its relation to the overall situation is essential in devising long-term mitigation measures and ending the annual winter cycle of chronic air pollution.

 

 

Assoc Professor Sirima Panyametheekul, a lecturer in environmental engineering at Chulalongkorn, said that, even though Bangkok’s pollution comes from diverse sources and no academic study had yet clearly defined them or their relative ratio, there was no doubt that heavy traffic was the main contributor.

 

Sirima pointed out the air quality improved dramatically during the long New Year holiday, when many residents left the city to travel upcountry. As soon as vehicles were again jamming city streets after the holiday, the smog returned.

 

However, she said, the main reason the air quality worsened to a critical level each winter was the weather.

 

“The number of cars on the roads is basically unchanged throughout the year, while the air pollution peaks every January and February. So it can be concluded that calm winds at this time of year help the air pollution accumulate to a very harmful level,” she explained.

 

A boom in the construction of small-scale biomass power plants and waste-to-energy plants across the Central region and the East was another prominent factor, said Kulyos Audomvongseree, director of Chulalongkorn’s Energy Research Institute.

 

“Many people suspect large coal-fired and gas-fired power plants to be the main polluters behind the problem in Bangkok, but my studies indicate otherwise. These large power plants are normally equipped with efficient pollutant-trapping systems, so they emit only relatively small amounts of PM2.5,” Kulyos said.

 

He said the small plants burning solid waste and biomass were actually emitting larger proportions of PM2.5 because they were too small to justify a costly investment in hi-tech pollution filters. Meanwhile the government is promoting development in East and Central Thailand and environmental regulations were weaker for smaller plants, he said.

 

A man tending to a street food stall wears a protective mask as bad air pollution continues to affect Bangkok. // EPA-EFE PHOTO

 

The Chulalongkorn academics stressed that further studies were needed to clearly identify the sources of Bangkok’s air pollution, saying the most effective way to control pollution was to tackle the problem at its sources.

 

Assoc Professor Manoj Lohatepanont, director of Chulalongkorn’s Transportation Institute, said that, since the climate cannot be controlled, long-term pollution-mitigation strategies involving every stakeholder were required.

 

Manoj suggested that Bangkok authorities create more green areas and encourage walking and bicycling.

 

“We should make our city friendly to pedestrians and cyclists and increase the quality and coverage of our mass-transit system, because walking and biking are the most environmentally friendly ways to get around the city,” he said.

 

“This transition needs a long-term strategy and a strong commitment from the authorities. Lowering the traffic volume would improve the air quality.”

 

Greenpeace Thailand country director Tara Buakamsri said some of the polution afflicting Bangkok was being carried on the wind from Cambodia, so its smog problem was in part an issue of transboundary haze.

 

“Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellites have detected a very dense cluster of hotspots from open burning in the north and northeast of Cambodia in recent weeks, and easterly winds carry the smoke straight towards Thailand,” Tara said.

 

“The large-scale burning in the northern Cambodia is closely associated with the very high deforestation rate and rapid expansion of monoculture farming in that region in recent years.”

 

Thailand is this year chairing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Tara noted, so it has the opportunity to raise the issue and encourage fellow member-states, including Cambodia, to work together on resolving the issue of transboundary pollution.

 

“Asean doesn’t typically consider environmental issues a top priority, but the region is now facing more intense extreme weather and natural disasters, so now is the time for us to take environmental problems seriously,” he said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30362525

 

The Nation: 2019-01-19

[NCC1701A]

5 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

However, she said, the main reason the air quality worsened to a critical level each winter was the weather.

too bad she had to say this.

[jvs]

The main reason in my mind?Too many years of no law enforcement,too many years of 'mai pen rai"

Finally the bucket is full.

Too little too late.

[madmen]

Nothing much will happen until it makes international news and then tourism panic sets in

[Odysseus123]

29 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

too bad she had to say this.

Yes..it is...because as soon as she did it became yet another useless talkfest.

[taichiplanet]

once the air clears, then it will be forgotten til next time; repeat endlessly.

[NCC1701A]

51 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The Chulalongkorn academics stressed that further studies were needed to clearly identify the sources of Bangkok’s air pollution

the solution for this problem was worked out 44 years ago in Southern California.

 

but first you would have to know where and what Southern California is.

Edited January 19, 2019 by NCC1701A

[NCC1701A]

http://yourstory.aqmd.gov/home

 

The South Coast Air Quality Management District, also using the acronym SCAQMD, formed in 1976, is the air pollution agency responsible for regulating stationary sources of air pollution in the South Coast Air Basin, in Southern California.

 

I lived through all the changes will millions of other Americans. The rules are hard core with aggressive enforcement.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter

 

"The first widespread introduction of catalytic converters was in the United States automobile market. To comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's stricter regulation of exhaust emissions, most gasoline-powered vehicles starting with the 1975 model year must be equipped with catalytic converters."

 

that was 44 years ago. there is nothing to study or discover.

 

Edited January 19, 2019 by NCC1701A

[Justgrazing]

1 hour ago, rooster59 said:

there was no doubt that heavy traffic was the main contributor

As Bob Dylan sang " A hard rains gonna fall " to get to grips with this with some hardcore solutions .. Check how London went at with first the congestion zone to control traffic entering capital .. then the LEZ to discourage older vehicles by charging them significantly more than newer cleaner running vehicles to enter .. and from April ultra LEZ is even more draconian requiring all diesel powered vehicles to be of latest Euro standards to avoid swingeing charges .. And authority that operate it are without mercy enforcing it via the 000's of CCTV all over the place and their link with the Vehicle registration database .. Try driving in without a permit or without paying and the vehicle gets issued with penalty notices automatically .. and they are equally ruthless collecting penalty charges .. It's main aim when introduced was to cut the amount of traffic entering London to reduce pollution and it works .. Would it work here ? Are the Thai's ready for a sharp change in the way of life here like leaving the Fortuner or Pajero at home and getting public transport as there real sacrifices to be made by society here if they truly want to deal with it .. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Another thumbsucking story quoting a bunch of academics who have lots of opinions and virtually no useful, factual information to offer in the article...

 

Unlike that, this is what Greenpeace wrote in their report on Thailand air pollution a year or so back:

 

 

 

Greenpeace 2018 report on PM2.5 in Thai City Rankings.pdf

 

[mok199]

Civalized lawfull countries work together to improve life ,pollution will continue until ALL THAIS gain a respect for their enviorment and this planet abiding by standards and laws 365 days a year ( 366 on leap years) ..THE END

Edited January 19, 2019 by mok199

[Chippy151]

All these experts never seem to mention other cities around the world and how they solved their air pollution problems.

All they have to do is copy them. No nrw inventions or ideas needed.

The first thing is to be aware of the outside world.

[Nyezhov]

20 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

the solution for this problem was worked out 44 years ago in Southern California.

 

but first you would have to know where and what Southern California is.

Absolutely. Emissions rules changed the Landscape in SoCal.

 

The bottom line is simple:

1. If it doesnt pass emissions, you cant drive it.

2. No open burning.

 

Unfortunately, if Thailand prohibited and enforced rules against open burning, that probably wouldnt change much.

[fruitman]

21 hours ago, madmen said:

Nothing much will happen until it makes international news and then tourism panic sets in

Feel free to make pictures of the smog and put them online....let's see how long it lasts before the talking is over and action has started.

[ExpatOilWorker]

19 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Another thumbsucking story quoting a bunch of academics who have lots of opinions and virtually no useful, factual information to offer in the article...

 

Unlike that, this is what Greenpeace wrote in their report on Thailand air pollution a year or so back:

 

 

 

Greenpeace 2018 report on PM2.5 in Thai City Rankings.pdf

 

Those numbers are for Thailand as a whole. The OP was specifically looking at Bangkok.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

19 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Those numbers are for Thailand as a whole. The OP was specifically looking at Bangkok.

 

That's true.  But yesterday, The Nation came along with another article that, despite a misleading and inaccurate headline, actually shows that burning IS the major cause of PM2.5 pollution as measure in Bangkok during 2017 at least during the "dry" season, which presumably includes this part of the year.

 

https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1079057-report-diesel-combustion-drives-this-pm25-mess-said-pcd-latest-study/?tab=comments#comment-13754018

 

In the chart below, diesel emissions are shown by the first blue color line, and agricultural/biomass burning is shown by the second brownish color line. And that data is JUST for Bangkok during its "dry" season, which I believe would include this part of the year which is the worst smog time for BKK.

 

[klauskunkel]

23 hours ago, rooster59 said:

the main reason the air quality worsened to a critical level each winter was the weather

Nah, be candid and say what's really on your mind: the main reason is that too many folks are wearing masks which prevent the particles to enter the lungs where they belong, instead they remain in the air.

[Nice Boyd]

4 hours ago, Chippy151 said:

All these experts never seem to mention other cities around the world and how they solved their air pollution problems.

All they have to do is copy them. No nrw inventions or ideas needed.

The first thing is to be aware of the outside world.

Too busy loving the a*** of the Chinese, Followers 

[hotchilli]

On 1/19/2019 at 12:04 PM, NCC1701A said:

http://yourstory.aqmd.gov/home

 

The South Coast Air Quality Management District, also using the acronym SCAQMD, formed in 1976, is the air pollution agency responsible for regulating stationary sources of air pollution in the South Coast Air Basin, in Southern California.

 

I lived through all the changes will millions of other Americans. The rules are hard core with aggressive enforcement.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalytic_converter

 

"The first widespread introduction of catalytic converters was in the United States automobile market. To comply with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's stricter regulation of exhaust emissions, most gasoline-powered vehicles starting with the 1975 model year must be equipped with catalytic converters."

 

that was 44 years ago. there is nothing to study or discover.

 

But it will be so much more cheaper & easier to wait for winter to end...

As another official said... wait for March to arrive, all will be ok again.

[Benmart]

When the critical point is reached, and revenue/tourism drops, then "they" will act. Power, greed and money is the driving force it seems. The public good and moral right is secondary.

[Toany]

Open burning is a main factor and they blame Cambodia while they continue to legally burn the sugar cane crops in Thailand. 

Even Brazil has banned the burning of sugar cane because of pollution 

[mommysboy]

Yeah, but nailing down the causes might bring the unpleasant prospect of having to do something about it!  We all know what needs to happen: stop crop burning, limit industrial emissions, limit city generated emissions such as diesel fumes.

[unamazedloso]

All rubbish. Blame Cambodia? I live in Kanchanaburi. Same time as Bkk is effected more than usual is the same time all the brain dead morons set fire to sugarcane fields and forests or even just burn grass cuz there too cheap to cut it. The sugarcane burning is a massive health risk with the addition of chemicals being burnt. Why is no body mentioning this as a major contributor. Ive been in thailand and lived all over for a very long tine and it doesnt take a genius to work out whats the tipping point cause for bkk being unbearable.. I have a pm2.5 moniter in my house and outside monotiring 24/7. Sorry people. The major contributor is LAZY FARMERS! AND A GOVERNMENT AND OFFICIALS SO LAZY AND DUM ITS CRIMINAL..