All agencies take measures to contain PM 2.5 airborne dust

tewit kemtong

 

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - Parents bringing their children to attend National Children’s Day activities could be concerned about PM 2.5 airborne dust in Bangkok and outlying areas, prompting authorities to take action to prevent and contain it.

 

Pollution Control Department Director General Pralong Damrongthai, said today the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment has issued a warning on the airborne dust situation, coordinated with relevant agencies and stepped up measures to prevent the particulate matter spreading from its sources on January 10 and January 11, 2020.

 

The Traffic Police Division has stepped up measures to check vehicles for black smoke emissions which might pollute the air. Seventeen road checkpoints have been set up to check cars and pickups for black smoke. Traffic police attached to Talingchan police station, Thamma Sala police station and Khun Khanan Loyfa police station have also been instructed to keep cargo trucks from entering Bangkok during specified periods.

 

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has had all 50 of its districts prohibit people from burning anything in the open air, and has taken steps to contain and reduce airborne dust from sites connected with the construction of electric trainlines and other activities.

 

The Department of Land Transport has authorized 16 inspection teams to strictly check heavy-duty trucks and buses for black smoke and called on transport operators not to run cargo trucks in Bangkok’s inner areas, except for the transportation of essential goods such as fresh food.

 

The Department of Industrial Works has taken measures to strictly contain air pollution released from factories in Bangkok’s outlying areas and to reduce their production capacity in critical PM 2.5 airborne dust situations.

 

Viewers may follow the air quality situation in real time on the air4thai.com; Application Air4Thai and http://bangkokairquality.com

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2020-01-12

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None of the measures mentioned concern crop burning. I guess that’s a more difficult target as it doesn’t involve simply setting up a tent at the side of the road waiting for a problem to come to you rather than doing some footwork. Besides, I don’t think any of the above are actually happening. 

Edited January 12, 20206 yr by Wiggy

This is what we wake up to practically every morning during cane burning season. It is impossible to have the windows or doors open for fresh air. Step outside and your eyes are immediately irritated and your throat rasping. Kids at our local school have constant eye, chest and throat problems.

This goes on for months at a time.

There are also loads of cars and pickups with worn out engines...

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has had all 50 of its districts prohibit people from burning anything in the open air,

The above said, it's all and good to make such an announcement, but he falls short of telling us how he had all 50 districts prohibit people from burning.

 

Did they drop letters from planes in the sky

Did they make announcements on the village speakers

Did they spread it by word of mouth

 

I didn't read anything to say that our staff will be making day and night inspections and applying heavy fines and or seeking jail through the courts for those caught burning.

 

So in the meantime I will just take care of self by keeping everything locked up while incarcerated in my own home turning on my air purifier when my detector starts telling me it's time, correction, 24/7

PR 101:

 

Talk about it during high season, especially January and the February.

 

Then shelve the project until next December...

 

Dumb farangs will say, "YES!!!  This year will be different."  

18 minutes ago, Wiggy said:

None of the measures mentioned concern crop burning. I guess that’s a more difficult target as it doesn’t involve simply setting up a tent at the side of the road waiting for a problem

 

2 hours ago, rooster59 said:

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has had all 50 of its districts prohibit people from burning anything in the open air

 

i'd say crops could be loosely described as anything?

 

5 minutes ago, Ventenio said:

PR 101:

 

Talk about it during high season, especially January and the February.

 

Then shelve the project until next December...

 

Dumb farangs will say, "YES!!!  This year will be different."  

 

as a Thai climate scientist recently said "Bangkok is lucky. not because they only have pollution for 3 months in a year but because for the other 9, the weather dissipates it"

 

 

9 minutes ago, edwinchester said:

This is what we wake up to practically every morning during cane burning season. It is impossible to have the windows or doors open for fresh air. Step outside and your eyes are immediately irritated and your throat rasping. Kids at our local school have constant eye, chest and throat problems.

This goes on for months at a time.

As you have kids, I totally understand your concerns, and I would suggest you read this very smart move in the link by Richard Barrow if you haven't already done so, and then decide if your school would be interested in doing the same.

 

I am currently looking into how to approach them, because I know Thai's can be apprehensive when ideas come from a farangs, a solution might be to get the wife bat for me after I put it all together, then she can translate it, unbeknown to them it was me, the only thing is will she be able to present it to them as good as me, gotta have faith.

 

https://www.richardbarrow.com/2019/02/review-of-the-airvisual-pro-air-quality-monitor/

Here in BKK i still smell burned plastic every day, they just burn it behind their house right next to our villa's where loads of children live as well.

I would say the containment used so far is a Tupperware box ????

54 minutes ago, Wiggy said:

None of the measures mentioned concern crop burning. I guess that’s a more difficult target as it doesn’t involve simply setting up a tent at the side of the road waiting for a problem to come to you rather than doing some footwork. Besides, I don’t think any of the above are actually happening. 

Can we start with something even easier?  The leaves and rubbish burning. It's ridiculuous now.  When driving through some very nice estates last week, I noticed that the maintenance/ground staff were burning piles of  trash/leaves/branches etc., all at  estates with significant farang populations. Maybe we need to look at our ownselves too.

The authorities don't know what to do.....and it's too darn hard to limit trucks and cars that belch plumes of diesel toxins

Last year when it was bad they said they would take vehicles off the road if they were belching smoke. Did they let them all back on the road once air quality improved? I've seen pickups belching smoke pass highway police vehicles and nothing is done. Either get serious year round or shut up.

8 hours ago, rooster59 said:

All agencies take measures to contain PM 2.5 airborne dust

Speaking especially without any sense seems to be a great ability of these individuals, continue that at this step you will not be able to find any solution, even until the year 2525 !!

6 hours ago, Thian said:

There are also loads of cars and pickups with worn out engines...

Actually they are modified to produce maximum smoke and noise. It's the first thing they do after leaving the slow room floor right after replacing the hood and/or fenders (in black) and installing those cute little blue bars that have no useful purpose. ????

9 hours ago, rooster59 said:

All agencies take measures to contain PM 2.5 airborne dust

Try doing something new.... everything else you've done has failed.

 

I drove from Chiang Mai to hua hin and back recently and saw many fires next to the the road. I mean what looked like wild fires. I didn't see anyone trying to put the fires out despite them being visible from the road...

Edited January 12, 20206 yr by hobz

1 hour ago, mickey rat said:

Actually they are modified to produce maximum smoke and noise. It's the first thing they do after leaving the slow room floor right after replacing the hood and/or fenders (in black) and installing those cute little blue bars that have no useful purpose. ????

Most of them didn't have money for wider fenders, they invested all their cash in wider tires which are outside the vehicle now.

 

Many pickups here belch black smoke because they blew up the engine during a race but hey little Somchai must do something to attract a girl....there's lots of competition for them especially from old bald fat farang with a big wallet....

It is okay, some genius will suggest that they turn these on again soon and all will be forgotten in a month or so. 

 

 

27 minutes ago, BobbyL said:

It is okay, some genius will suggest that they turn these on again soon and all will be forgotten in a month or so. 

 

 

That's the problem. This is a Mickey Mouse approach. Spraying water into the air won't do s**t. Even a heavy thundershower is not always successful in despersing pollution. They should identify and tackle the source of pollution. That's the only way.

Yeah lets blame the farmers but happily accept another 100,000 combustion engines in the cities.

Lets allow speeding cars and trucks to drive motorcycles and bicycles off the roads with their dangerous speeds and selfish parking

Lets ban electric scooters which could save a car journey

 

And by the way guys farmers feed you, and the auto industry does exactly what for you?

Oh yes makes you fat and lazy!!

Now careful you don't get stuck in traffic on your drive to the gym guys ????

 

If you have a motorbike or a car, you know already every year you 

have to pass your vehicle at a technic control to have the insurance 

and the tax sticker for the new year. 

What about a reinforcement of the anti pollution control on all the vehicles?

I mean if you fail the test, no sticker, and then the police need to do his job

and at the controls check points put out of the road each vehicle without a valid sticker.

(Some months ago i have done the road Phuket\Hua hin\Bangkok\Pattaya and i have 

counted 1 army or police check point every 50 kms, with all the vehicles being filtred

It's not too hard to do it if they really want)

 

For the burning problem what about a ''green number'' where you can

with an anonymous call report someone who burns waste in his garden.

Send a team at the adress first time an oral and writing warning and

the second time fine him with a huge amount, of course you have to pay

on the spot or you are entered in the public data and unable to obtain something

from the administration (ID card, passport, driving licence and so on) until you have paid (Because most of the Thais don't bother to pay their fines.)

 

The problem should be solved quickly.

 

Edited January 12, 20206 yr by kingofthemountain

9 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

If you have a motorbike or a car, you know already every year you 

have to pass your vehicle at a technic control to have the insurance 

and the tax sticker for the new year. 

What about a reinforcement of the anti pollution control on all the vehicles?

I mean if you fail the test, no sticker, and then the police need to do his job

and at the controls check points put out of the road each vehicle without a valid sticker.

(Some months ago i have done the road Phuket\Hua hin\Bangkok\Pattaya and i have 

counted 1 army or police check point every 50 kms, with all the vehicles being filtred

It's not too hard to do it if they really want)

 

For the burning problem what about a ''green number'' where you can

with an anonymous call report someone who burns waste in his garden.

Send a team at the adress first time an oral and writing warning and

the second time fine him with a huge amount, of course you have to pay

on the spot or you are entered in the public data and unable to obtain something

from the administration (ID card, passport, driving licence and so on) until you have paid (Because most of the Thais don't bother to pay their fines.)

 

The problem should be solved quickly.

 

You would need to get the cops off their asses. How you gonna do that?

 

Bangkok is not the entirety of Thailand - there are many other regions in the country experiencing the same problems with PM 2.5.  Are there any plans to combat this?  Banning, and enforcing the ban on agricultural burning would be a major improvement.  Removing all the black-smoke belching vehicles from the road would be a wise second step. 

Promises in Thailand are like a fart,they linger for a minute then just fade away into the abiss...

This is very similar to Thailand 

 

 

I would wager we have the worst pollution on record this year. No one seems to be willing to take meaningful action, and there is too much profit in the crops (and increasing market for the puffball mushrooms, and factory corn)

They spray water into the air in downtown bangkok for this. Effectiveness: 100%. 

1 hour ago, sucit said:

They spray water into the air in downtown bangkok  

In this time of drought what a good idea!

Some days ago they were asking people to 

take less showers to save water