Bangkok wakes up to toxic air choking central business districts
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The spikes in PM2.5 pushed Bangkok to 12th place among the world’s most polluted major cities at one point on the morning of Jan 14.
PHOTO: AFP
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BANGKOK – Bangkok residents woke up to a hazy, polluted sky on Jan 14, with authorities urging people in the city’s main business and financial hubs to stay indoors.
Levels of air particulate pollution surged to the worst category on Bangkok’s air-quality index in Bang Rak, Pathum Wan and Sathon – districts that house international headquarters, embassies and some of the Thai capital’s biggest shopping malls.
The spikes in PM2.5 – tiny particles that can penetrate deep into lungs – pushed Bangkok, a city of around 10 million people, to 12th place among the world’s most polluted major cities at one point on the morning of Jan 14, according to IQAir.
Toxic smog has become Bangkok’s annual public-health emergency during colder months.
The surges are driven by a mix of traffic fumes, industrial emissions, construction dust and cross-border agricultural burning, which is trapped by weather patterns keeping dirty air over the city.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has urged public and private-sector agencies to allow employees to work from home when pollution levels are high to reduce traffic-related pollution and mitigate health risks. BLOOMBERG
