Air pollution alert for Friday

Air pollution is expected to get worse in Bangkok on Friday following a slight improvement in weather conditions on Thursday.

Fewer locations reported fine particle dust higher than safe levels on Thursday, while the Thai Meteorological Department issued a warning about a high pressure area hovering over Laos and Thai Northeast that will cause a temperature drop by 1-3 degrees Celsius in Greater Bangkok on Friday.The Pollution Control Department (PCD), meanwhile, reported that 16 roadside areas and nine general areas (away from main roads) of Greater Bangkok had unsafe levels of particulates smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) in the air. The safe limit is 50 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre of air. In Bangkok, a roadside area on Paholyothin Road in Chatuchak district, another spot in front of Kasetsart University in Bang Khen district, and another area near the Thanon Tok Intersection in Bang Kho Laem district each reported an unsafe level of 62 micrograms.
The PCD also reported that the air quality on Friday would be “moderate” and cited the weather bureau as saying there would be no rain in the capital city and five surrounding provinces.In the wake of air pollution, various agencies have this week implemented dust-reducing measures such as the suspension of construction work January 16-22 for the Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand’s Orange, Yellow and Pink electric rail lines. Bangkok Mass Transit Authority checked vehicles and weeded out exhaust-spewing buses from roads, while traffic police nearly doubled checkpoints from the previous 12 to be 20 to seize exhaust-spewing vehicles. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration sent workers to clean and spray water at risky spots daily.