PM Paetongtarn Orders Action as Air Pollution Reaches Hazardous Levels

[webfact]

File photo courtesy: Stefanos Fotiou via ESCAP

 

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has stepped up the battle against Thailand's air pollution crisis, with PM2.5 fine particulate matter levels reaching hazardous levels. Following a decisive cabinet meeting, she has prolonged the directive to engage various ministries to anchor efforts in achieving lower pollution levels than last year.

 

After the meeting, Ms. Paetongtarn addressed the press at Government House, highlighting the concerning rise in dust levels across provinces, as evidenced by satellite images revealing more heat spots. The priority, she said, was clear-cut measures implemented by both relevant governmental bodies and sugarcane farmers, who are often responsible for agricultural burning.

 

Last year’s dust pollution, largely attributed to 70% of agricultural burning, has seen a commendable reduction to 30-35% this year. This achievement follows initiatives spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, persuading farmers to adopt less harmful burning practices.

 

Further sharpening the focus, the Prime Minister has tasked the cabinet with better control of gas emissions while urging the Transport Ministry to intensify scrutiny over large vehicles emitting excessive fumes. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior is to mobilise the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) and local administrative bodies to tackle air quality issues vigorously.

 

In an era of heightened public sensitivity to pollution, Ms. Paetongtarn assured comprehensive governmental collaboration across all sectors. With implemented and ongoing measures, she expressed optimism for a marked reduction in pollution levels compared to last year.

The urgency of the situation was starkly illustrated on Tuesday morning when Bangkok experienced "red" hazardous PM2.5 levels. The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) reported average PM2.5 concentrations of 88.6 microgrammes per cubic metre in Bangkok over 24 hours—more than double the government-set safe threshold of 37.5 µg/m³. Alarming levels were recorded across all 50 districts, hitting 96.7 µg/m³ in Bang Kho Laem.

 

Neighbouring provinces such as Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, and Pathum Thani also faced severe pollution, with levels hitting 83.6, 80.9, 79.5, and 79.1 µg/m³ respectively. The Pollution Control Department forecasted that PM2.5 levels would continue to rise throughout Greater Bangkok from Wednesday to Friday.

 

With these steps and increased vigilance, the Thai government looks to assuage this rampant environmental issue, promising a clearer and healthier path ahead for its residents. The initiatives underscore a national commitment to not only tackle present air quality challenges but also lay a foundation for sustainable environmental stewardship in the future, reported Bangkok Post.

 

-- 2025-01-08

 

 

[Rampant Rabbit]

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

achieving lower pollution levels than last year.

and when 1  person doesnt burn some leaves that aimless  goal will have been achieved, She sure  looks like a  high achiever and  all that wealth so young , must be right, even their gardener is a multi billionaire

[Tropicalevo]

Blah, blah, blah, blah.

There - fixed it.

We all know that nothing will change.

[Emdog]

She should order all government employees to exhale only, leaving more air to inhale for average citizens to process

[MikeandDow]

Following a decisive cabinet meeting,   what a joke this counrty is !!!!

[cooked]

In most villages around here (Buriram) we are instructed to burn all rubbish. This includes plastics of course. There are sill a few places where we can leave rubbish if you know where to look. A lot of rubbish appears overnight at the roadside. 

Anecdote: I once saw a school bus stop next to a "no tipping" sige, and a kid jump rubbih there. Education? You have to teach the adults first.

[spidermike007]

The problem is not only the politicians, but also the people, a large part of the population, which simply does not care:

 

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/12/how-chiang-mai-became-the-worlds-most-polluted-city

 

Great article. At least they state the truth. It is field burning and predatory agricultural practices, more than wildfires, that is to blame. And the army won't touch the giant growers. Perhaps a more creative and far more drastic approach would work? 

 

The problem just keeps getting worse, and is compounded with the fact that we have a Do Nothing PM now. All talk, and no action. DNP. A huge part of the problem is the incessant burning of sugar. Until they show the will to face up to Big Agra, nothing will change. Just more schemes about reducing the burning of incense, and other ways to deflect the blame in a cowardly manner.

 

The real numbers are reflected in the AQI. If China could address their bad air quality, why can't Thailand?

 

They talk about fires. Most are self created by these delinquent, self serving, callous, mindless, unconscious sugar farmers. If the sugar refiners created a system to confirm the crops were not burned, things could change overnight. NOBODY in a position of power seems to care, and all the moral authority the nation used to have is gone, baby gone. 

 

 

[Des1]

2 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Blah, blah, blah, blah.

There - fixed it.

We all know that nothing will change.

Exactly. I didn't even bother to finish reading the story, no need. Copy and paste this same story for next year.

[Will B Good]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Last year’s dust pollution, largely attributed to 70% of agricultural burning, has seen a commendable reduction to 30-35% this year. This achievement follows initiatives spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, persuading farmers to adopt less harmful burning practices.

 

Utter tripe.....not one single farmer has been persuaded not to burn.....I'd put money on it.

 

The burning season hasn't even begun.

 

No action is being taken or will be taken.

 

There is only one solution re: sugarcane......all sugarcane to be delivered to the processors with the leaves intact. The processors remove and mulch the leaves.

[madone]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

 

 

Last year’s dust pollution, largely attributed to 70% of agricultural burning, has seen a commendable reduction to 30-35% this year.

 

What nonsense, its far worse this year and began earlier, as something of a night owl, i can say that levels have been in the red at night for around a month. 

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

In an era of heightened public sensitivity to pollution, Ms. Paetongtarn assured comprehensive governmental collaboration across all sectors. With implemented and ongoing measures, she expressed optimism for a marked reduction in pollution levels compared to last year.

 

 

Heightened sensitivity? More like heightened pollution period.

As for this whole sentence, this i why you don't print unedited AI. It is absolutely meaningless

 

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The urgency of the situation was starkly illustrated on Tuesday morning when Bangkok experienced "red" hazardous PM2.5 levels.

 

Again, Bangkok has been in the red overnight on many occasions this month, WTF, 

[PeterA]

Here in the sticks, people make a pile of damp garbage with leaves and sticks no bigger than a 1 gallon bucket and light it. 

It will smoke profusely for hours on end. No waiting a few days for it to dry first, where it would burn in a few minutes. 

Education on how to make a fire  would be a great place to start. 

[Will B Good]

1 minute ago, PeterA said:

Here in the sticks, people make a pile of damp garbage with leaves and sticks no bigger than a 1 gallon bucket and light it. 

It will smoke profusely for hours on end. No waiting a few days for it to dry first, where it would burn in a few minutes. 

Education on how to make a fire  would be a great place to start. 

 

What gets me, is they then sit around it totally swathed in the smoke......mental.

[Muhendis]

44 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

There is only one solution re: sugarcane......all sugarcane to be delivered to the processors with the leaves intact. The processors remove and mulch the leaves.

A bit of enlightenment is due here.

Almost all sugarcane is now harvested using a combined harvester which strips the leaves and chops the cane into small pieces.

The stripped leaves are dumped on the field. It is this residue that is burned.

Some years ago, the leaves were harvested and rolled up into big rolls then wrapped in plastic and taken to a bio mass factory for energy production. Good idea but way to costly so it is no longer done.

 

[Hanuman2547]

It will take drastic action by the government to make the needed changes.  I imagine that Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar also have similar agriculture practices.  Would need those countries to get on board with this as well which might be a bit difficult.

[Will B Good]

4 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

A bit of enlightenment is due here.

Almost all sugarcane is now harvested using a combined harvester which strips the leaves and chops the cane into small pieces.

The stripped leaves are dumped on the field. It is this residue that is burned.

Some years ago, the leaves were harvested and rolled up into big rolls then wrapped in plastic and taken to a bio mass factory for energy production. Good idea but way to costly so it is no longer done.

 

 

Not in the whole Nong Bua Daeng it is isn't.

 

They no longer burn the leaves on the stems.....that loses them money, but all the leaves are still stripped by hand and burned shortly after as they lie.

 

Only ever seen one mechanised harvester in all my time here.

 

We see 20 to 30 semi-lorries a day, fully loaded all with full length sugarcanes.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has stepped up the battle against Thailand's air pollution crisis, with PM2.5 fine particulate matter levels reaching hazardous levels. Following a decisive cabinet meeting, she has prolonged the directive to engage various ministries to anchor efforts in achieving lower pollution levels than last year.

More hot air... just what we need.

[connda]

--------
2019  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2020  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2021  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2022  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2023   "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2024  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2025  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2026  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

-------

The same thing you do for the annual flooding perhaps? 

[Hanuman2547]

5 minutes ago, connda said:

--------
2019  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2020  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2021  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2022  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2023   "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2024  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2025  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

2026  "OMG - The air is unbreathable.  What should we do!"

-------

The same thing you do for the annual flooding perhaps? 

Form a committee!  Form a Committee!!  Which was probably done in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and I'll take a guess and say that they will form a committee in 2025 and probably 2026 as well!  Not that anything will be achieved mind you, but it is what they do.

[GarryP]

22 minutes ago, Muhendis said:

A bit of enlightenment is due here.

Almost all sugarcane is now harvested using a combined harvester which strips the leaves and chops the cane into small pieces.

The stripped leaves are dumped on the field. It is this residue that is burned.

Some years ago, the leaves were harvested and rolled up into big rolls then wrapped in plastic and taken to a bio mass factory for energy production. Good idea but way to costly so it is no longer done.

 

Not in my neck of the woods. It is mostly harvested by hand, but with very little pre-harvest burning now. Post harvest burning is a big issue in my area though. Burning off all the dry leaves and clearing the fields. Rice stubble burning is also a major issue in my area as is mountain forest burn off.    

[Patong2021]

So much negativity and the typical western demand for instant gratification/instant results.

 

 

7 hours ago, Rampant Rabbit said:

and when 1  person doesnt burn some leaves that aimless  goal will have been achieved, She sure  looks like a  high achiever and  all that wealth so young , must be right, even their gardener is a multi billionaire

 

We start with our own individual accountability. When one person does the right thing it is a cumulative  move in the right direction. Your attitude holds that no one should change because others do not.

 

3 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Blah, blah, blah, blah.

There - fixed it.

We all know that nothing will change.

 

That is your attitude. The government measures have. had an impact. They are trying. Start with your own  behavior first. Manage what you control. Change  sometimes takes time and is incremental. Stop being negative and try and encourage  positive  actions. If you are sincere, discuss with your Thai friends and neighbors. I  have stopped my Thai friends from littering, at least in my presence. Every little bit helps.

[Will B Good]

2 minutes ago, Patong2021 said:

So much negativity and the typical western demand for instant gratification/instant results.

 

Instant gratification.......???

 

The only action taken of any significance has been to tell everyone they are monitoring the AQI ever more closely.

 

Just look at the data..........

 

https://github.com/prasertcbs/basic-dataset/blob/master/bangkok-air-quality.csv?utm_source=chatgpt.com

[Woke to Sounds]

1 hour ago, madone said:

As for this whole sentence, this i why you don't print unedited AI. It is absolutely meaningless

It's what I call A.I. gaslighting; lots of adjectives crammed in a sentence that's too long.  But it does wonders to obfuscate meaning. (And incidentally, a favorite trick of commies throughout history.)

 

Cheerio buudddy

[Muhendis]

46 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

They no longer burn the leaves on the stems.....that loses them money, but all the leaves are still stripped by hand and burned shortly after as they lie.

Yeah.

A few years ago they used to do that here too but now it's all mechanised. 

But whatever, it's the leaves that are burnt which causes the pollution

[edwinchester]

2 hours ago, PeterA said:

Here in the sticks, people make a pile of damp garbage with leaves and sticks no bigger than a 1 gallon bucket and light it. 

It will smoke profusely for hours on end. No waiting a few days for it to dry first, where it would burn in a few minutes. 

Education on how to make a fire  would be a great place to start. 

Alot of the locals do this to keep the mosquitoes away so they tell me.

[mancub]

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

I  have stopped my Thai friends from littering, at least in my presence. Every little bit helps.

Hurrah ! ....but on a par with only wearing a crash helmet when approaching a police check. There's been plenty of time to change that pattern also.

[John Drake]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Last year’s dust pollution, largely attributed to 70% of agricultural burning, has seen a commendable reduction to 30-35% this year. This achievement follows initiatives spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, persuading farmers to adopt less harmful burning practices.

 

Further sharpening the focus, the Prime Minister has tasked the cabinet with better control of gas emissions while urging the Transport Ministry to intensify scrutiny over large vehicles emitting excessive fumes. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Interior is to mobilise the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) and local administrative bodies to tackle air quality issues vigorously.

 

 

Western advanced economies who have done their bit to reduce CO2 and other environmental pollutants now need to enact sanctions against Thai agricultural and industrial exports, which are contributing an outsized proportion of environmental pollutants.

[fondue zoo]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

Last year’s dust pollution, largely attributed to 70% of agricultural burning, has seen a commendable reduction to 30-35% this year. This achievement follows initiatives spearheaded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, persuading farmers to adopt less harmful burning practices.

 

 

Is this verifiable?

 

 

[KhunBENQ]

Stop all burning and Bangkok would still be polluted to hazardous levels.

Bad weather pattern, cold, little wind and the exhaust fumes will lay like a blanket.

It's called smog.

Read about the deadly London smog desaster of 1952 and know what can happen.

 

At the same time they come up with the idea to make Diesel trucks (with inferior filtering) even more affordable with less sales tax, tax preference for Diesel fuel.

Genius.

[connda]

9 hours ago, Hanuman2547 said:

Form a committee!  Form a Committee!!  Which was probably done in 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and I'll take a guess and say that they will form a committee in 2025 and probably 2026 as well!  Not that anything will be achieved mind you, but it is what they do.

2019 Photo Opportunity (smile and say "Dee") Put it off until next year...

2020 Photo Opportunity (smile and say "Dee") Put it off until next year...

2021 Photo Opportunity (smile and say "Dee") Put it off until next year...

2022 Photo Opportunity (smile and say "Dee") Put it off until next year...

2023 Photo Opportunity (smile and say "Dee") Put it off until next year...

2024 Photo Opportunity (smile and say "Dee") Put it off until next year...

2025 Photo Opportunity (smile and say "Dee") Put it off until next year...

2026 Photo Opportunity (smile and say "Dee") Put it off until next year...

 

[GammaGlobulin]

Time to seal up your windows.

 

Buy air purifiers.

 

Buy good quality 3M masks.

 

Don't worry about what you cannot change.