Govt urged to leverage technology in pollution fight

By The Nation

 

 

In the age of digital technology with Thais owning an average of two mobile phones each, it is time for the government to leverage technology for public benefits, said Suchatvee Suwansawat, President of the Council of Engineers Thailand, on Thursday (January 16). 

 

For instance, the government should develop an application to warn people of areas affected by the pm2.5 pollution and reminding them to wear face mask in those locations to lessen risks to health. 

 

With no measures currently in place to deal with problem, identifying risk areas would be a good start, such as bus stops. There are 5,000 bus stops in Bangkok, of which 1,000 are air-pollution spots. State agencies should install fans to disperse dust and particles.

 

Suchatvee described the measure of spraying water from high buildings as off point and ineffective. “Dust and particles will temporarily be caught by water but it will be blown back to the air when the moisture dry up,” he said. Construction sites, factories and traffics are the main sources of dust and particles, not the weather, he added.

 

As a long-term measure to fix the problem, the government should offer tax deduction as an incentive for factories to reduce the emission of pollutants from their production sites. Like wise, old cars spewing black smoke should be subjected to a higher tax rate.

 

The state should adopt Big Data for storage of all relevant information, analysis and risk management so as to inform the public in advance of actions to be taken in relation to the problem, such as the closure of schools in risk areas. The government ordered a temporary closure of all schools in Bangkok last year.

 

"With the air-pollution problem intensifying, there should be a warning system for those most vulnerable, such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women, and patients with respiratory issues. Respiratory problems, lung disease, brain disease and cancer pose a threat to human resources which is vital to our future,” said the president.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30380718

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-01-17

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More empty words, should, could's and maybe's! Kinds obvious they have no intention of doing anything!

Get out of Bangkok if you can! Your lungs will be toxic and damaged if stay long 

18 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

it is time for the government to leverage technology for public benefits

well , in general, that is what a government is for; cept in thailand; we havent had an able government here in quite a while

What planet is this guy on? Extractor fans at bus stops? So where does the air come from to replace the air extracted? Factories getting tax breaks? Why not fine them heavily for breaking emissions laws? Old wagons taxed moer heavily? Why not just fine the owners and ban the trucks from the road?

 

The guy's got the mentality of a 4 year old. Why not "leverage existing laws by strict enforcement?

And all they have to do is enforcing the laws and stop burning. Maybe sack the entire police force first.

Bus stop  fans to blow the bus pollution down the street 50meters.  

I'm all for brainstorming. 

Set tight vehicle emission standards for this time of year if not  always. 

Start with all taxis and buses.  Get off the road if needed.  

Install  reputable particle counters  at about 10,000 locations  in Thailand.  In bkk start with all the bus stops.   Rrsdongs posted in real time  like airvisual.com or purpkeair.com.  

Make quality n95 masks available for Asian  faces.    Educate on poor results with low quality  masks. 

Roadways in bkk should be swept with  a street sweeper every 48 hours. All  construction sites need a tire hose off area.

3 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

What planet is this guy on? Extractor fans at bus stops? So where does the air come from to replace the air extracted? Factories getting tax breaks? Why not fine them heavily for breaking emissions laws? Old wagons taxed moer heavily? Why not just fine the owners and ban the trucks from the road?

 

The guy's got the mentality of a 4 year old. Why not "leverage existing laws by strict enforcement?

This sounds a lot like the idea the then government promoted to put boats in rivers to fight flooding. Are these the best ways they can think of to use technology. If so, heaven help Thailand.

14 hours ago, CGW said:

More empty words, should, could's and maybe's! Kinds obvious they have no intention of doing anything!

Again no government accountability of fixing the route cause, this mornings news over 140 fires out of control in Thailand. They expect people to buy useless cotton masks, stay indoors or buy smart phones they may not afford to get an app and measure AQI. Still living in last century.

Blah blah, ban the burning and enforce it! if you want to use technology incentivise reporting of burns and incentivise fining of offenders.

Has he heard of AirVisual ????

After an initial assessment and development phase, the Government is proud to release it's latest technological advancement to help combat pollution.

 

At a cost of 45million baht, they have have released a new Line emoji to warn people to wear face masks.

 

It can be downloaded today from the App Store or www.tardnet.com

 

 

16 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

With the air-pollution problem intensifying

..and it's not getting better any time soon! Air purifiers, 2.5 PM masks and stay indoors are the future. Get used to it. Another day in Paradise. 

As a start and an exercise in raising public awareness there could be a total ban on incense sticks , fireworks and burning paper stuff for Chinese New Year. It may not be  a lot in the scheme of things but it send out a powerful message for the direction of travel. Wonder if these Cambodian corn farmers are part of the CP turn-key corn operations ?

 

https://www.cpfworldwide.com/en/media-center/โครงการเกษตรกรพึ่งตนข้าวโพดยั่งยืนสู่ปีที่4คู่คิดเกษตรกรปลูกข้าวโพดยั่งยืนมีรายได้มั่นคงร่วมดูแลสิ่งแวดล้อม

 

 

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/chiang-mais-headache-corn-fed-smoke-haze

Edited January 18, 20206 yr by URMySunshine

The technology is already here, NASA firemaps, AQI application to identify and target the perpetrators but it needs joined up thinking and effective enforcement. Oh wait, that's what a government should be doing, not these bizarre rantings to treat the symptoms and not the cause. There is no hope...

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Suchatvee described the measure of spraying water from high buildings as off point and ineffective.

 

Finally, someone in quasi-authority has the gumption to publicly declare the emperor has no clothes....

 

I thought there was some shred of hope remaining, but then, he went off and pulled this one....

 

Quote

State agencies should install fans to disperse dust and particles.

 

 

Edited January 18, 20206 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK

23 hours ago, pixelaoffy said:

Get out of Bangkok if you can! Your lungs will be toxic and damaged if stay long 

The Pollution is pretty much all over the Country.

Much is being caused by the Chinese Owned Farming Enterprises in Cambodia, where a Satellite counted over 900 fires Yesterday.

And there were 156 in Thailand

Thats a lot of PM 2.5 going into the Air

2 hours ago, Cake Monster said:

The Pollution is pretty much all over the Country.

Much is being caused by the Chinese Owned Farming Enterprises in Cambodia, where a Satellite counted over 900 fires Yesterday.

And there were 156 in Thailand

Thats a lot of PM 2.5 going into the Air

It is interesting what you write, do you have any links?

 

I reread the article twice because perhaps I had misunderstood that this President of the Council Engineers Thais has no idea how to reduce pollution in Thailand and therefore the forecast of pollution is even worse in the years to come, maybe see how other western countries do it and in particular Japan to reduce pollution was too mentally tiring; So if these are the expertises on the problem, there is no hope that the government will do anything.

Instead of using levers on technology they should use the under the butts of some ministers to get them out of their leather captain's chairs and into the field to stop illegal burning!

On 1/17/2020 at 5:44 PM, snoop1130 said:

As a long-term measure to fix the problem, the government should offer tax deduction as an incentive for factories to reduce the emission of pollutants from their production sites

and/or make it illegal to produce/emit such untreated, harmful eissions into the air and water ways and strictly enforce such measures. 

Remind me of a science fiction movie, everyone with masks and umbrellas, acid rain. That whole region is a no go zone.

An effective police force would halve these numbers in a week.  RTP do nothing unless it's in their own interests yet can't see thousands of their members & families are having their lives shortened by the hour.

This person works for the Nation-sounds like a ninth grader. How can they keep making this so complex when it’s not.  Stop all burning of anything in the country and heavy fines and short jail terms for violations.

Enforce violations of factories, autos and all vehicles on the roads-large fines and jail for repeat offenses.

 

That would be a good start.  It about solving the problem, not warnings ????

 

I haven’t seen handing out masks at the airport yet ????

Edited January 19, 20206 yr by Redline

10 hours ago, Redline said:

That would be a good start.  It about solving the problem, not warnings

 

A mandatory annual vehicle smog inspection program would be another good start on the vehicle emissions side of things, and would create a new industry and employment for Thailand.

 

In other words, each year, every vehicle would be required to undergo a vehicle emissions inspection, and if they didn't pass, would be required to have emission systems repairs/adjustments done to bring the vehicle into compliance.

 

There could be temporary exemptions for older vehicles and some limits on the cost of repairs during a phase-in period for the program and a phaseout period for older vehicles to be taken off the road.

 

Has worked wonders elsewhere. And yet, I don't think I've seen or read one mention of such a program being suggested for Thailand by any of the supposed authorities/ experts involved with air pollution here.

 

12 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

A mandatory annual vehicle smog inspection program would be another good start on the vehicle emissions side of things, and would create a new industry and employment for Thailand.

 

In other words, each year, every vehicle would be required to undergo a vehicle emissions inspection, and if they didn't pass, would be required to have emission systems repairs/adjustments done to bring the vehicle into compliance.

 

There could be temporary exemptions for older vehicles and some limits on the cost of repairs during a phase-in period for the program and a phaseout period for older vehicles to be taken off the road.

 

Has worked wonders elsewhere. And yet, I don't think I've seen or read one mention of such a program being suggested for Thailand by any of the supposed authorities/ experts involved with air pollution here.

 

The crazy thing is, is that developed countries have already gone through this, so there is plenty of experience and guidance, and documentation ????