BANGKOK – Air pollution in Thailand forced several schools in Bangkok to close this week, according to local reports, but Thais may breathe a sigh of relief as air quality is expected to improve.
The Bangkok Post reported that 43 provinces, including the capital Bangkok and its suburbs, were blanketed in smog on Friday.
But the overall air quality improved overnight in Bangkok, with the atmospheric PM2.5 level ranging from 28 to 58 micrograms (mcg) per cubic m, which the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration described as “good” on Saturday morning.
High levels of PM2.5 – fine particulate matter of less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter – pose health risks, especially for people with chronic lung disease. The government advised people to wear face masks outdoors and consider working from home on Thursday and Friday.
The Royal Thai Navy said on Saturday that it has installed 13 PM2.5 filtration machines around Bangkok to lower the level of fine dust in the air to a safe level, The Nation newspaper reported.
“The machines can also filter most germs, bacteria and viruses, including the Covid-19 virus, as well as aromatic hydrocarbons in nearby areas within 30 minutes,” the navy said, adding that each machine can filter 5 cubic m of air per second.
The Bangkok Post report added that Chulalongkorn University Demonstration Secondary School in Pathumwan district announced on Thursday that it would be closed on Friday due to concerns over the respiratory impact on its students.
Jindabamrung School in Khan Na Yao district took similar action in announcing a Friday closure and Monday reopening on its Facebook page. The Thawi Watthana district office suggested that seven schools under the supervision of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration in the district do the same.
A total of 376,165 people suffered from ailments of some kind caused by air pollution this week, an increase of 163,491 from the previous week, according to officials. Of these patients, more than 165,000 suffered from respiratory diseases, 80,248 from skin diseases and 70,206 from eye inflammation.
Dr Narong Aphikulvanich, Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Public Health, said that emergency operation centres had been set up in 14 provinces affected by the high levels of PM2.5 to deal with the problem in a more systematic manner. The provinces include Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
The Thai Meteorological Department forecast that air pollution in the capital would be reduced on Saturday with the arrival of stronger winds to disperse the smog.
