Bangkok's air quality 16th worst among world cities

By The Nation

 

 

The Air Visual application reported on Sunday that Bangkok’s air pollution level according to the US Air Quality Index (AQI) standard stood at 108, with the level of particulate matter less than 2.5 micrograms in diameter (PM2.5) at 38mcg per cubic metre (µg/m3), placing it at 16th on the list of cities with the worst air in the world.

 

AQI is a standard that indicates the quality of air and level of pollution. Level 0-50 means good air quality, 51-100 is moderate quality, 101-105 will start affecting sensitive groups, 151-200 is slightly harmful to health, 201-300 is highly harmful and 301-500 is extremely dangerous.

 

Meanwhile, the Pollution Control Department reported that air quality in Bangkok and its perimeter is currently fluctuating between very good to moderate with PM2.5 at around 20-42 µg/m3 detected by 71 air quality stations.

 

The Thai safety limit for PM2.5 is 50mcg per cubic metre of air while the safety limit for AQI is 100. As of Sunday, the five cities with the worst air quality were: 1. Lahore, Pakistan 317; 2. Delhi, India 195; 3. Karachi, Pakistan 169; 4. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia 163; 5. Chengdu, China 158.

 

The cities with the best air quality were: 1. Tashkent, Uzbekistan 1; 2. Melbourne, Australia; 3. Sydney, Australia 6; 4. Canberra, Australia 6; 5. London, United Kingdom 7.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30396732

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-10-26

 

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but, but, but... how can this be? surely some mistake...  bangkok has these amazing air purification machines...

 

40 minutes ago, webfact said:

The cities with the best air quality were: 1. Tashkent, Uzbekistan 1; 2. Melbourne, Australia; 3. Sydney, Australia 6; 4. Canberra, Australia 6; 5. London, United Kingdom

London better than Edinburgh?

Sydney better than Wellington?

Absolute nonsense.

 

4 minutes ago, donnacha said:

London better than Edinburgh?

Sydney better than Wellington?

Absolute nonsense.

 

yes  Melbourne better than  Perth what a laugh

2 minutes ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

yes  Melbourne better than  Perth what a laugh

Melbourne hat 59 today Perth 45

Well, this is going to take some seriously imaginative thinking to hide. Something like : 

 

Come to Bangkok, not in the 15th worst air quality cities of the world

3 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Well, this is going to take some seriously imaginative thinking to hide. Something like : 

 

Come to Bangkok, not in the 15th worst air quality cities of the world

Dont worry, its sugar cane season soon. Burn 1000's of square kilometers before harvest. Bangkok will reach number 1 position somewhere in December or January.

the annual south east asia burn festival has begun. i wish all a happy and healthy festival time. 

All the more reason to keep wearing your mask...as long as you have a good one, not the pieces of cloth I see being sold on many roads around town.

The only thing I know is that whenever I spend more than two or three days in BKK I inevitably get a throat infection; something I've never experienced in any other city, and I've been around a bit, which is a bit weird given I'm a two pack a day man; so breathing BKK air is worse than being a chain smoker?  Though, I must admit, I did once get a similar reaction to smoking some knock off Ukrainian cigarettes. And yeah, mentioning BKK and throat infection in the same breath probably sets me up for some lewd jokes.

18 minutes ago, nausea said:

The only thing I know is that whenever I spend more than two or three days in BKK I inevitably get a throat infection; something I've never experienced in any other city, and I've been around a bit, which is a bit weird given I'm a two pack a day man; so breathing BKK air is worse than being a chain smoker?  Though, I must admit, I did once get a similar reaction to smoking some knock off Ukrainian cigarettes. And yeah, mentioning BKK and throat infection in the same breath probably sets me up for some lewd jokes.

 

2 packs a day ? damn that is dedication to your craft. 

 

the higher levels in bkk are probably playing havoc with your weak lungs. probably why you seem to get sick easy. 

 

quit the ciggies my man you can do it. ????

 

Life is generally becoming more unhealthy ... man made pollution everywhere ..., ( oil lobby wants profit ) ,  toxic chemicals used in farming ... ( chemical industry and farmers want profit ) , destruction of whole ecosystems like what is happening now in the Pantanal in Brazil ... ( meat producing industry wants profit ) ... all this running after some profit , ( greed ) , makes EVERYBODY become a loser .

The fault , once again , is in a system that favors this . Personal enrichment beyond any reasonable limits is counterproductive and destructive .

There needs to be a limit .

It is the way of egocentrical thinking that needs to change , but that will not happen without some really catastrophic developments ...

Que sera , sera ... what ever will be , will be ... but , still , stupidity and the incapability to act in a responsible and sustainable way will lead straight into that catastrophy ... it is the fate of a species that never realized that we all ( as a species ) need to act together to prevent this to happen .

NOW . Tomorrow is too late ...

 

I like the way the Thais don't care about people dying or health effects from their own domestic problems like road accidents or from air pollution. But when there's even a suggestion something mildly dangerous (like coronavirus) comes from overseas, it's all: 

Shut Down the Borders immediately, those evil foreigners are killing thai people!!!

 

Stupid is, as stupid does.

Nausea...I think your problem is - you don't spend enough time in BKK.  I have never had any throat or lung problem in almost 30 years here.

10 minutes ago, Crusader said:

Nausea...I think your problem is - you don't spend enough time in BKK.  I have never had any throat or lung problem in almost 30 years here.

Me to I never cough or anything else. The problem is some people have underlying health issues and would be worthwhile to get a full medical IMO 

Making noise and smoke is a part of the culture and what it is be Thai. Why farang must complain? 

2 hours ago, nausea said:

The only thing I know is that whenever I spend more than two or three days in BKK I inevitably get a throat infection; something I've never experienced in any other city, and I've been around a bit, which is a bit weird given I'm a two pack a day man; so breathing BKK air is worse than being a chain smoker?  Though, I must admit, I did once get a similar reaction to smoking some knock off Ukrainian cigarettes. And yeah, mentioning BKK and throat infection in the same breath probably sets me up for some lewd jokes.

Aircons could be a factor, or moving in and out of aircons. Taxis, bars, shopping malls, restaurants, hotel rooms. Water cooler fans blowing in open air pubs. Many in an unhealthy condition. 

If you want to cut down smoking move to Australia. 1000 baht a pack. You'll either quit or go broke trying.

7 hours ago, Meat Pie 47 said:

Melbourne hat 59 today Perth 45

Talking about cities mate, not villages.

Rain stops for 5 minutes the air quality is back to normal poor levels....

nothings been done since the last round of pollution reports so I guess we can expect more of the same.

Glad I don't live in Bkk.

Air quality just another notch in their gun—along with an overpriced Baht, the visa labyrinth, and two-tier pricing for foreigners.

BAD air quality will deter NOBODY!!!!   98237423  billion people visit these polluted cities.  

 

the reason?   pollution generally won't kill you soon.....so people don't think too much about it.  

 

if soooo many people go there, it must not be that bad, right?   all these people aren't forced there, and it's not a prison..

 

it's the same with all DUMB behavior ... no condoms, drinking too much, smoking, bike without a helmet, etc.......  99% of humans can't think beyond what a soi dog would do

 

ok, it's March....i'm off to Chiang Mai!!!!!    look at all these farangs, must be OK!!!  

2 hours ago, mr mr said:

 

2 packs a day ? damn that is dedication to your craft. 

 

the higher levels in bkk are probably playing havoc with your weak lungs. probably why you seem to get sick easy. 

 

quit the ciggies my man you can do it. ????

 

I quit Bangkok long before I quit cigarettes. 

The air quality issues around Bangkok, are primarily caused by poorly maintained diesel vehicle emissions, diesel fired power plants, the worst of them all, crop burning, and a few other industries. It is not a major manufacturing issue, like in the large Chinese cities. Therefore, it is far easier to address, and to control. If the authorities were competent, less corrupt, and less indifferent. 

 

There is a very simple solution to this problem. If the authorities were interested in solutions. The burning has to stop. There are alternatives, to this 19th century technique of burning after the sugar cane harvest. Either the government starts to encourage farmers to switch to more environmentally friendly crops, or they start to penalize farmers for burning. This heinous burning, is leading to a tremendous degree of environmental degradation, and alot of lung disease. So here is what I propose-

1. Fine the farmers 5,000 baht for a first offense, and give them a stern warning, that burning is now prohibited, and the second fine will be very harsh.

2. For a second offense, fine the farmer 100,000 baht, and warn them that if the burning continues, their land will be confiscated.

3. On the 3rd offense, confiscate their land. Period. No questions. No legal proceeding or appeals on the part of the farmers. Allow others to come in and purchase the land at a fair price, with the caveat that sugar is prohibited as a crop to be grown on that land.
The news would travel faster than the toxic smoke, and farmers would change their ways overnight, and move into the 21st century.

Then they can move on to tackle the sale of diesel vehicles, and the government's enthusiastic support of such. It is inane in this day and age. Most nations are moving away from diesel for good reasons. When they are not well maintained, they foul the air, with large, nasty particles. And who properly maintains their vehicle here?

Maybe the air quality which has been very bad for years has contributed to co-morbidity issues with respect to corono virus?

10 hours ago, donnacha said:

London better than Edinburgh?

Sydney better than Wellington?

Absolute nonsense.

 

london has restrictions on vehicles entering the city. when j visited last year the few vehicles i saw were mostly Toyota Prius hybrid electric vehicles.

 

the most used public transport was electric tube train.

 

I doubt that is the same for Edinburgh?

 

 

No surprise as long as these 40 year old diesel busses run in the center and blow out black clouds - ever been on a motor bike behind one ? ????

Cha cha.. wait for smog season, Thailand will be number ONE in the stellar Universe.

51 minutes ago, Cadan said:

No surprise as long as these 40 year old diesel busses run in the center and blow out black clouds - ever been on a motor bike behind one ? ????

 

Please post current picture of 40-year old diesel bus in Bangkok. The majority are now NGV.

 

But hey. TV and Thai bashing go hand in hand

What folks here should take from this news report, even though it's not actually mentioned in the OP article:

 

We're now heading toward November, which traditionally is the start of the bad smog season in Bangkok and surrounding areas. And the past few days were the first time I've had to fire up my home air purifiers in some months.

 

In short -- get ready, because the mild air pollution we're experiencing now is just the beginning of a lot worse that's likely coming in the months ahead.

 

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

The air quality issues around Bangkok, are primarily caused by poorly maintained diesel vehicle emissions, diesel fired power plants, the worst of them all, crop burning, and a few other industries. It is not a major manufacturing issue, like in the large Chinese cities. Therefore, it is far easier to address, and to control. If the authorities were competent, less corrupt, and less indifferent. 

 

There is a very simple solution to this problem. If the authorities were interested in solutions. The burning has to stop. There are alternatives, to this 19th century technique of burning after the sugar cane harvest. Either the government starts to encourage farmers to switch to more environmentally friendly crops, or they start to penalize farmers for burning. This heinous burning, is leading to a tremendous degree of environmental degradation, and alot of lung disease. So here is what I propose-

1. Fine the farmers 5,000 baht for a first offense, and give them a stern warning, that burning is now prohibited, and the second fine will be very harsh.

2. For a second offense, fine the farmer 100,000 baht, and warn them that if the burning continues, their land will be confiscated.

3. On the 3rd offense, confiscate their land. Period. No questions. No legal proceeding or appeals on the part of the farmers. Allow others to come in and purchase the land at a fair price, with the caveat that sugar is prohibited as a crop to be grown on that land.
The news would travel faster than the toxic smoke, and farmers would change their ways overnight, and move into the 21st century.

Then they can move on to tackle the sale of diesel vehicles, and the government's enthusiastic support of such. It is inane in this day and age. Most nations are moving away from diesel for good reasons. When they are not well maintained, they foul the air, with large, nasty particles. And who properly maintains their vehicle here?

 

succinct answer with many logical and well thought out ideas. 

 

however............TIT ????