BANGKOK, Thailand – The Pollution Control Department (PCD) has warned that PM2.5 levels are expected to keep rising through mid-January, with the most severe conditions forecast in Bangkok, the metropolitan area, and the Upper Central Region. Air quality is expected to improve after January 16.
Director-General Surin Worakijthamrong said the situation is driven by high atmospheric pressure, cold air masses from the North, and weak winds nationwide, which are trapping pollutants near the ground.
In response, the PCD has coordinated with the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to request that government agencies expand work-from-home arrangements. Inspections of black-smoke-emitting vehicles have also been tightened by lowering the allowable emissions threshold from 30 to 20, a step that has reduced particulate pollution by about 30 percent.
Authorities have also stepped up enforcement of no-burning measures, leading to a reduction of more than 8,000 burning hotspots, or about 50 percent. Field teams remain on standby and are ready for immediate deployment when elevated hotspot activity is detected.
Surin said the use of Cell Broadcast alerts has helped curb open burning, while the adoption of Euro 6 vehicle standards since 2024 has cut particulate emissions by roughly half. He urged agencies to maintain work-from-home measures and called on residents nationwide to fully refrain from agricultural burning to reduce health risks. (NNT)
