Air pollution closes schools

[reader]

From The Nation (30 Jan.)

The Education Ministry on Wednesday ordered educational institutes in Greater Bangkok to close for two days, starting tomorrow, after air pollution worsened.

The ministry will review the situation this weekend to decide whether the measures would be extended, said minister Dr Theerakiat Charoensettasin.

The decision followed instructions from Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha for the ministry to consider urgent measures to deal with the worsening air pollution in Bangkok on Wednesday, the minister said.

The Pollution Control Department reported of unsafe levels of PM2.5 – airborne particulates 2.5 microns or less in diameter – in 39 locations around the city, of which 23 were along main roads. 

The level hit 141 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic metre of air – nearly three times the safe limit of 50 – on Rama II Road in Muang Samut Sakhon, Samut Sakhon province, 45 kilometres from Bangkok.

If the situation remains unchanged, the order to suspend the classes may have to continue, he said.

The minister was speaking after chairing a meeting of the Office of the Basic Education Commission, Office of the Vocational Education Commission, Office of the Private Education Commission and Office of the Higher Education Commission (OHEC).

Theerakiat said that the OHEC will ask cooperation from universities to consider suspension of classes for the sake of students.

Referring to the O-net examination scheduled to take place between February 2-3, he said nothing could be done at the moment so the examination will proceed as scheduled.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30363218

[TotallyOz]

The city has become one of the most polluted in the world.  Schools closed for 2 days and reports of many roads being closed to impede traffic.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/30/world/asia/pollution-thailand-bangkok.html

[fedssocr]

that's a depressing story. The sheer number of unmoving vehicles is clearly a big problem. I wonder if they re-timed the traffic lights to be shorter if it would matter at all. Too many major intersections back way up partly because the lights last 2 or 3 minutes

[spoon]

So apparently it became worse due to lack of winds during this time of year. Pollution sources have been there for a long time already. Hope boys will always wear mask when they are outside. I wonder if closing roads will solve the issues. Inducing rains helps the last time we had bad haze in indonesia/malaysia/borneo last time, though the source was forest fire and open burning from big plantations is the cause. Smogs is most from factories and cars, so better regulatory needs to be enforced.

[PeterRS]

12 hours ago, Michael said:

The city has become one of the most polluted in the world.  Schools closed for 2 days and reports of many roads being closed to impede traffic.

As a Bangkok resident, I do not agree with that comment. The NYT story reflects the present situation and that is definitely bad. But I have never known it be this bad. The fact is that had the monsoon winds started in December as has always been the case, there would be no pollution at this time of year. December, January and February are usually amongst the clearest each year. This year is a freak just as the polar vortex presently over the USA is a freak of nature. Does the fact that temperatures in much of the USA are today lower than they have ever been before indicate that the USA is now a cold country? Of course not.

Wikipedia has a list of the worlds 500 most polluted cities using data based on the PM2.5 annual mean concentration measurement as documented by the WHO. This was gathered between 2008 and 2017. Bangkok comes #474 just a fraction worse than Jerusalem. Many Chinese and Indian cities are massively worse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-polluted_cities_by_particulate_matter_concentration

But it is right that the Thai government has to take a lot of blame for not doing a helluva lot more about the air in the city long before now. Yinglucks lot put more than a million new cars on to the city roads with only yards of new roads. End result? More traffic jams, more pollution. No government, elected or military, has ever done much about getting old polluting vehicles off the roads. Ancient buses and trucks spew fumes daily.

Then there are the fools who come up with idiotic ideas like water spraying. These morons are like the Minister who in 2011 seriously suggested a pontoon like group of long tail boats with engines at full speed to push the flood waters back up river before they could inundate the capital. We know how effective that turned out to be! Much of the city under water for about three months. And that fool was a member of an elected government.

 

[TotallyOz]

4 hours ago, PeterRS said:

As a Bangkok resident, I do not agree with that comment. The NYT story reflects the present situation and that is definitely bad. But I have never known it be this bad. The fact is that had the monsoon winds started in December as has always been the case, there would be no pollution at this time of year. December, January and February are usually amongst the clearest each year. This year is a freak just as the polar vortex presently over the USA is a freak of nature. Does the fact that temperatures in much of the USA are today lower than they have ever been before indicate that the USA is now a cold country? Of course not.

Wikipedia has a list of the worlds 500 most polluted cities using data based on the PM2.5 annual mean concentration measurement as documented by the WHO. This was gathered between 2008 and 2017. Bangkok comes #474 just a fraction worse than Jerusalem. Many Chinese and Indian cities are massively worse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most-polluted_cities_by_particulate_matter_concentration

But it is right that the Thai government has to take a lot of blame for not doing a helluva lot more about the air in the city long before now. Yinglucks lot put more than a million new cars on to the city roads with only yards of new roads. End result? More traffic jams, more pollution. No government, elected or military, has ever done much about getting old polluting vehicles off the roads. Ancient buses and trucks spew fumes daily.

Then there are the fools who come up with idiotic ideas like water spraying. These morons are like the Minister who in 2011 seriously suggested a pontoon like group of long tail boats with engines at full speed to push the flood waters back up river before they could inundate the capital. We know how effective that turned out to be! Much of the city under water for about three months. And that fool was a member of an elected government.

 

Bangkok just cracked the list of the top 10 worst. But, yes, only for now. But, having been here for years and as you said, this is the worst you have seen it.  Me too. But, also, the traffic and congestion and construction never slow. I do not see this as getting better for the long term. I only see the trend to continue and things to continue to worsen.

[PeterRS]

2 hours ago, Michael said:

Bangkok just cracked the list of the top 10 worst. But, yes, only for now. 

You do not quote your source. I have googled the latest lists of the worst polluted cities. Bangkok is not on any other than the one I mentioned. I am not doubting your comment but there are sources and sources. Some are highly rated. Others are often based on pretty obscure data. Perhaps since it has just entered a list it is not yet available on google.

But I do not disagree. I only think it should be pointed out that only parts of the city show up as dark and polluted as the pics in the media. Today around 4:30 pm I stood at the top of Sathorn at the junction with Rama 4. This is usually bad for traffic as there are a lot of cars on idle for much of the time. This is how it looked going up Witthayu. Yes it's a bit misty but nowhere near as bad as I have witnessed in places like Delhi or even Los Angeles. LA itself features in one of the Top Ten Most Polluted lists from last August - https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2018/08/23/the-ten-most-polluted-cities-on-earth/#294cae9218cc

The distance up to that skyscraper is almost 1 kilometre. Going to Babylon along Sathorn soi 1 it was clear as a bell along its length of about 400 meters.

 

Understandably no camera can pick out particles in the air. But I do think it is important, especially for visitors, to realise that although the pollution is very bad in some parts of the city, it is far less so in others. Will it get worse in future years? Lets face it, it is going to get worse everywhere until cities like Paris actually mandate strict measures to reduce pollution and become carbon neutral. But there is surely is a chicken and egg issue here. Which comes first? A really efficient and energy efficient public transport system or the banning of polluting vehicles? I have not been in LA for about 10 years. Does it have a realistic initiative to reduce the number of cars? If so, I havent seen any info on it. Same with Bangkok. The authorities sit on their fat asses hoping no one will see their crossed fingers. Will the elite give up their cars here? No chance. If there is ban on odd numbered vehicles one day and even numbers the next, guess what they will do? Buy a third or fourth car with a different registration!

[TotallyOz]

15 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

You do not quote your source

 

Did you read the NYTimes article I linked? (paragraph 7) 

I also read in the Bangkok Post about the Sathorn area being really bad.

Also, I have had 5 friends sick from this in the last week.  True, not proof but adding it all up only makes sense to me.

I know other places are also going to get worse. But, IMHO, Bangkok, and Thailand need more regulation to control this.  I drive and I see too many trucks blowing out black fumes every time I drive. It has an effect.

[Guest]

https://ceasepollution.com/top-10-biggest-polluters-in-the-world/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1sriBRD-ARIsABYdwwF5wELJ_6O2yyHX9LjKru2Ol22CieBa0hf7ZUEaCv6xA3cOI5ekLjkaAsClEALw_wcB

 

Trouble is if you google worst polluted countries you will come up with dozens of different lists. There is no real standard . This list caught my eye since Canada is #10 . Not in a million years would I ever think Canada should make this kind of list. To me if you travel around the world, you get a good idea where the most pollution is and you come to understand that 1 day can be completely different then another day .  Certainly BKK has problems but it is possible to visit  BKK many times and never see this level of pollution.

Then there are other cities where you would have to be lucky not to see this type of pollution. Until the world goes to wind, sun etc for power and we get rid of millions of car polluting the world replaced by electric cars , things are unlikely to change.

[PeterRS]

31 minutes ago, Michael said:

Did you read the NYTimes article I linked? (paragraph 7) 

I did indeed read it. And I wondered about the source of the author's comment. Unless I missed something (possible) she gives no information about her source. And I can find none. If you have, do please post it.

31 minutes ago, Scooby said:

Until the world goes to wind, sun etc for power and we get rid of millions of car polluting the world replaced by electric cars , things are unlikely to change.

Could not agree more. The sad thing about governments is that few seem able to think beyond the next election cycle. So what happens in 10 or 20 years is unlikely to matter much for any of them. They will either be in their graves or at least out of power. Try getting any to hand policy making about climate change and air pollution over to an international governing body. The laughing will be worldwide!

[DivineMadman]

This site gives the official pollution details from the Pollution Control Department.  air4thai. There is also a free app air4thai.  Below is a screencap I just took for Rama IV/Pathumwan, which is the district for the purposes of Pollution Control Department that includes Silom.  

[TotallyOz]

47 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

I did indeed read it. And I wondered about the source of the author's comment. Unless I missed something (possible) she gives no information about her source. And I can find none. If you have, do please post it.

 

My research days are done. However, if I find a source that requires that a poster citing another reliable (NOT Fake News) source to find the source of the original article's source, then I can source that back to you and we will share the resources together.

jk Like everything else, most new articles are not fully cited like research articles.  I remember my days back in law school where everything had to be sourced correctly or you completely failed a class. However,  I know you are not from the USA and may not know that the new standard is to just keep repeating things and they become fact. So, Bangkok is now one of the 10 most polluted cities on earth ever. I am not stating this as fact, but I heard it, and people were saying, so it must be true.

Sorry. There I go again. IMHO, Bangkok is getting more polluted each year. I feel it. I see it. And, the last week confirmed that there is a big problem here. It was not that way on my first visit.  Does that mean I'll move?  No.  It just means I adjust things accordingly.

Like Scooby, I know the solutions exist but I also know we are not moving fast enough in that direction.

 

[reader]

From The Nation (Jan. 31)

Fleet of small planes to spray water over Rama II Road in bid to fight pollution

A FLEET of 47 planes is set to take off tomorrow to spray water over Bangkok’s most polluted areas in a bid to bring down the level of hazardous particles in the air.

The operation will be jointly organised by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the Bangkok Aviation Centre. 

“Water will be sprayed over the entire stretch of Rama II Road in Bangkok and will probably extend to the portion of the road adjacent to Samut Sakhon province,” Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang said yesterday. He added that the target area would be about 60 kilometres long and 1km wide.

“The planes will fly about 300 to 400 metres above ground,” he said.

Rama II Road, which is a key route for people and cargo heading to the country’s South, has been blanketed with a dangerous level of PM2.5 dust particles for several days already. 

BMA has also dispatched drones to spray water in the hope of lowering the dust particles. Each drone carries 10 litres of water. 

“These drones will continue even after small planes from the Bangkok Aviation Centre join our efforts,” the Bangkok governor said. 

Aswin has also called on people to help by using diesel-run vehicles only when it is very necessary and refraining from burning outdoor fires. Chinese shrines and foundations have been asked to perform Chinese New Year rituals in a less polluting manner. 

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30363323

[spoon]

Maybe they should hold songkran earlier too? 

[fedssocr]

spraying a fine mist of water from a drone is just going to make the problem worse, not better. Wind is what will help fix it, not a couple of liters of water.

[ChristianPFC]

Cars are to blame for many evils, but not for this. There were as many cars and traffic jams 6 months ago, without such pollution levels.

And you have to consider that there are 12 million people who belch, fart, vomit, smoke, piss and shit and prepare food over open fires. Those fumes from kitchens burn in the eyes when then the wind blows them into the area where customers sit. And incense in temples. (My mother does incense for Christmas, bordering on chemical warfare, but I haven't been in Europe in winter for years so it doesn't affect me.)

The problem is the weather conditions that trap all the pollution in the city. But there is nothing we can do about the weather, only produce less pollutants.

[TotallyOz]

6 hours ago, ChristianPFC said:

The problem is the weather conditions that trap all the pollution in the city. But there is nothing we can do about the weather, only produce less pollutants.

1

Don't tell me you are one of those people that believe in global warming. In the USA right now, there is a massive snow storm.  It is very cold. Global warming can't exist as when Trump looks out his window he sees snow.

[PeterRS]

4 hours ago, Michael said:

Global warming can't exist as when Trump looks out his window he sees snow.

Ive got news for Trump! But then of course, he cant read!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/01/30/this-is-why-global-warming-is-responsible-for-freezing-temperatures-across-the-usa/#14b6241dd8cf

[DivineMadman]

10 hours ago, PeterRS said:

Ive got news for Trump! But then of course, he cant read!

https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2019/01/30/this-is-why-global-warming-is-responsible-for-freezing-temperatures-across-the-usa/#14b6241dd8cf

It's a lost cause, but someone did take the time to try to give Trump a real life example he could understand.

(Not 100% sure the science is exactly right, but it's clever)

[vinapu]

19 hours ago, Michael said:

. In the USA right now, there is a massive snow storm.  It is very cold. 

Where? in San Diego, CA? It can't be!

[TotallyOz]

9 minutes ago, vinapu said:

Where? in San Diego, CA? It can't be!

You are right. And, thus Global Warming is impossible. 

[floridarob]

I asked someone , a Thai, why there aren't solar panels in Thailand, he said they are illegal, the government doesn't allow it. I was at Maxi's and asked the guy behind the bar, I assumed it was the owner, how much his electric must be, because he has A/C's running constantly with no doors. He laughed and said ALOT...I asked why no solar. he said long and complicated answer to that....

When I was leaving, I did notice some panels, not many , on a few warehouse looking buildings that I could see from the plane.

I have solar on my house in Mexico, I was in Boston in Dec and noticed solar farms on the sides of the highway and LOTS of buildings  with them (Boston isn't known for sun!)

So what is up with Thailand??

[witty]

The oligarchs and those controlling the cartels are the ones running the economy of Thailand. Until  the time comes for them to divide up the stakes on solar power, you would not see a single square metre of solar panels anywhere in the country. Let the peasants eat cake.