Toxic smog yesterday forced Bangkok authorities to issue an unprecedented order to shut nearly 450 schools, as authorities struggle to manage a pollution crisis that has stirred widespread concern.
The Thai capital has been shrouded in murky haze for weeks, forcing residents to don masks and sparking social media criticism of the uneven response by the government.
Reasons given for the lingering pall include exhaust from traffic, unfettered construction, the burning of crop stubble and pollution from factories getting trapped in the city.
Photo: Reuters
Authorities have seeded clouds to provoke rain, sprayed overpasses with water to catch micro-pollutants, and even asked people not to burn incense sticks and paper during Lunar New Year celebrations.
Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said he is also seeking temporary closure of some factories during pollution spikes to tackle the problem.
The measures so far have provoked derision from many Bangkok residents, while stocks of pollution masks have run out in many shops.
However, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration yesterday stepped up its health warnings, ordering all 437 city-controlled public schools to close from lunchtime through tomorrow, while designating 1,500km2 of the city a “control area.”
“The situation will be bad until Feb. 3 to 4, so I decided to close schools,” Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said, adding that he hoped the move would also empty the road of cars on the school run.
Three to four of the city’s districts are “severely hit with smog,” he added.
Fleets of drones are set to be deployed to disperse a sugary liquid solution to help clear the air of microscopic particles. It is not clear how effective that would be given the scale of the smog cloaking the city.
The Bangkok City Hall might soon issue a warning against exercising in parks, Aswin said.
Air Visual, an independent online monitor of the air quality index, on Thursday pegged Bangkok at the “unhealthy” level of 171, up from 156 in the middle of the month.
The measurements are higher than some cities in China, but well below the Indian capital of New Delhi.
The levels of air quality in Bangkok are the worst in “at least a year,” Greenpeace Thailand country director Tara Buakamsri said.
The smog spike is unwelcome for a city that relies on tourism for economic growth. Bangkok received more than 20 million international visitors in 2017, the highest such figure in the world, according to a gauge compiled by Mastercard.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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