Thailand is now covered in a thick layer of smog due to air pollution. It has affected more than 200,000 lives in Bangkok, and they are being hospitalized.
The whole kingdom has been covered for days by an unpleasant yellow-grey mix of industrial emissions, vehicle fumes, and smoke from agricultural burning. Since the beginning of this year, more than 1.3 million people have fallen sick in the kingdom as a result of air pollution. According to the public health ministry, nearly 200.000 people were admitted to hospitals this week alone.
Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, is the most polluted.
The kingdom’s capital, Bangkok, is one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. Its population is estimated to be around 11 million. The capital is now blanketed with this heavy, toxic smoke.
On Wednesday, the public health ministry recorded unsafe levels of the most dangerous particles, PM2.5, in 50 cities around Bangkok. These particles are so tiny, and their size is similar to that of our hair strands. These, when inhaled, can enter our lungs easily and settle there, causing serious respiratory illness. It can also easily enter the bloodstream from there and cause serious health issues, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
On Thursday, it was recorded as being well above the World Health Organization guidelines. According to the government’s pollution control department, the levels have been above WHO guidelines for the past three days.
Farmers in the northern city of Chiang Mai usually burn crop stubble at this time of year. This situation has gotten much worse in that region. IQAir, the monitoring firm, has ranked the popular tourist destination as the third-most polluted city in the world.
IQAIR said that the PM2.5 concentration in Chiang Mai was currently 22.8 times the WHO annual air quality guideline value.
Measures taken
In late January and early February, city authorities instructed people to work from home, during a pollution peak at that time. As per reports, nurseries run by the city have set up special “no dust rooms” with air purifiers to protect young children, as well as checkpoints to monitor vehicle emissions.
Doctor Kriangkrai Namthaisong at the ministry urged children and pregnant women to stay indoors. He also advised anyone going outside to wear a high-quality N95 anti-pollution mask.
People were told to stay inside and stop doing things that could make the pollution worse. A higher official even said that people might have to work from home and the cities would have to be on lockdown if the situation gets worse.
