Bangkok Governor given strong powers as pollution spreads

By The Nation

 

Photo Courtesy of Jor Sor 100 traffic radio station (JS100): A view from Tipco Building on Bangkok's Rama 6 Road shows the haze covering over nearby buildings.

 

With air pollution worsening in the capital and affecting more areas on Friday, residents are waiting to see what action Bangkok Governor Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang will take next.

 

The city’s Pollution Control Committee on Thursday authorised Aswin to declare the capital a “nuisance problem control area” under the Public Health Act and take more drastic action if the levels of PM2.5 – airborne particulates 2.5 microns or less in diameter – exceeded 75-100 micrograms per cubic metre of air.

 

Pollution Control Department (PCD) director-general Pralong Damrongthai told reporters about the decision after the committee meeting.

 

 

Photo Courtesy of Jor Sor 100 traffic radio station (JS100): A view from Cyber World building on Bangkok's Ratchadapisek Road show the haze over nearby buildings.

 

He said all agencies involved, including the Meteorological Department and the Departments of Land Transport and Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation, were asked to promptly submit action plans to Aswin if PM2.5 topped 75 micrograms. 

 

Pointing out that the PM2.5 level was not unsafe in all 50 districts of Bangkok, Pralong said it was appropriate to declare a nuisance problem control area so that the governor could use his discretion in shutting down pollution sources and call on other districts for help.

 

If PM2.5 tops 100 micrograms, an emergency meeting of the National Environment Board would be convened to devise measures to present to the Prime Minister, Pralong said.

 

Pralong said the committee also decided to summon experts to discuss lowering the PM2.5 safe limit from 50 to 25 micrograms per cubic metre, as recommended by the World Health Organisation.

 

In its daily update, the PCD said 24 areas of Greater Bangkok had PM2.5 above the 50-microgram threshold on Friday morning, when there was little wind. 

 

Sixteen of those places were along major roads.

 

It said the situation could improve in the afternoon with stronger winds predicted.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30362925

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-01-25

18 minutes ago, webfact said:

Bangkok Governor given strong powers

Dress up as a native American and do the rain-dance?

There is one man who could pray to remove the hazard, why isn't he getting involved?

 

All responsible depts need to act quickly, as situation getting worse on a daily basis.

Today, according to an Air Monitor App, readings in BKK are at unhealthy levels (120- 150 US AQI), good levels are 0-50!!

Expected to remain at these high levels for next 3 days...at least!!

 

People, particularly elderly & those w/ respiratory probs, should avoid going out, unless necessary!!

 

 

Seems to me, the more the baht appreciates, the hazier it gets.

It's up to 160 today in Bangkok - time to buy shares in 3M mask making division?

The overall readings for BKK have been getting slowly better from morning into mid afternoon....

 

But the reading below shows the overall PM2.5 for BKK peaked at 199 AQI (circled in black for highlight) earlier this morning, which represents a spot reading of 148 micrograms of PM2.5 -- 3 times the already inflated Thai 50 mcg safety level for a 24 hour period.

 

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Pralong said the committee also decided to summon experts to discuss lowering the PM2.5 safe limit from 50 to 25 micrograms per cubic metre, as recommended by the World Health Organisation.

This would be a move in the right direction, indicating that maybe the rest of the world knows something, even though Thailand hasn’t said its true yet

This is what the real time BKK readings looked like earlier today (9 am) on the U.S. AQI scale. All RED / unhealthy PM2.5 readings.

 

 

This is what the Thai PCD's past 24 hours average map looks like for BKK, using the different Thai AQI scale (the numbers in the little balloons are all sensor IDs, not PM2.5 reading amounts). Mostly all orange colored / unhealthy readings.

 

The Thai scale reserves the red color for when the AQI reaches 201 or higher and is considered "very unhealthy."

 

 

 

 

Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk...

Let him pray or pull article 44 ...... 

I saw a big truck spewing out black smoke drive right past traffic police yesterday. Mind you, I also saw a traffic police officer chatting to someone on the pavement. When he’d finished speaking, he just walked back onto the road without looking left or right and nearly got hit by a car. 

 

Might wanna use those ‘special powers’ on the police force. 

No action, talk only (NATO) ???? To be serious the old and current governments are oblivious to this problem. Nothing is done to stop it. There are still plenty of diesel trucks fuming around, the roads are rarely or never washed especially in the suburbs, never ending construction sites, burning grass and rubbish just for the sake of burning and so on and so forth.
If they really cared about air pollution then there should have been long term plans. For example subsidizing hybrid and electric cars, so general public could afford buying them. Also they could have prohibited diesel vehicles. These are just a few actions the government could have implemented. Instead of buying submarines they could have used the money for improving the environment.

21 hours ago, eggers said:

All responsible depts need to act quickly, as situation getting worse on a daily basis.

Today, according to an Air Monitor App, readings in BKK are at unhealthy levels (120- 150 US AQI), good levels are 0-50!!

Expected to remain at these high levels for next 3 days...at least!!

 

People, particularly elderly & those w/ respiratory probs, should avoid going out, unless necessary!!

 

 

Not next 3 days but until the rainy season comes. There was always pollution. It's just now that it is talked more in the media.

2 hours ago, Thunder26 said:

 There was always pollution. It's just now that it is talked more in the media.

 

True, BKK always has pollution like any big city...

 

But, every year, the very bad time is basically Dec. to March, and that period is double or triple the pollution levels the city has during the rest of the year.

 

And that's due to some combination of the annual seasonal agricultural burning that occurs, the weather conditions and regular pollution from ongoing sources like transportation, industry, etc.

 

The media is talking about it now, and for the next month or two, because it IS considerably worse now than it was a few months ago, and than during most of the rest of the year. An annually repeating process here.

 

 

Quote

Bangkok Governor given strong powers as pollution spreads

Giving him power to blow away the smog and haze? The way the Thai media word their version of English is confusing at times.

So we have the smoke, now where are all the mirrors?

Just talking and hopefully it will be gone 

Thailand just not take any action 

You want only our money but really don't care about our health 

Why Thai people not demanding action ??

To scared?? 

To lazy??? 

In some western countries for example uk London they have the congestion charge but trying to lay that one on a lawless society won't work.the only real thing to do is fine crop burning farmers and confiscate vehicles that belch out black smoke but then again who's going to enforce that one.the best that this government has to offer is blame it on the weather and other countries.