Higher Road Use Leads To Worsening Air In Bangkok

Higher road use leads to worsening air in Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- Higher road use in the capital is leading to increasingly worsening air quality, with levels of air-borne particles on some major thoroughfares now significantly up on last year’s figures, according to the Department of Pollution Control.

Releasing the department’s 2004 pollution report yesterday, department director Aphichai Chavacharoenphan said that air-borne particles were posing an increasing problem along the capital’s roads.

With more and more vehicles taking to the roads of Bangkok, average levels of air-borne particles now stand at 21.5-215.9 micrograms per cubic metre. The worst affected area is around Rama VI Road, where levels exceeded the accepted standard on 60 days out of 290.

However, on some major roads, including Phahonyothin Road, Rama IV Road, Din Daeng, Lad Phrao and Intaraphitak Road, levels are in fact down on last year’s figures.

Nationwide, the quality of surface water seems to have improved, with 48 percent of surface water sources now deemed to be good, compared to 32 percent last year. However, 15 percent and 5 percent remain ‘degraded’ and ‘extremely degraded’ respectively, with crisis areas found in the lower reaches of the Tha Cheen River and the Chao Phraya River.

And while 88 percent of seawater in 23 coastal provinces has been passed as ‘acceptable’ to ‘extremely good’, problems caused by run-off from industry and agriculture – ranging from bacteria to heavy metal - remain in the inner and western sections of the Gulf of Thailand.

--TNA 2004-12-30