Bangkok was classified as the eighth most polluted city in the world
Bangkok authorities announced on Friday the closing of 352 schools, against the approximately 200 closed the day before, due to the high levels of air pollution recorded this week in the Thai capital.
The levels of air pollution in the Thai capital put it among the ten most polluted cities in the world.
The measure was announced through social networks by the governor of Bangcoque, Chardchart Sittipunt, who stated that 352 schools of the Metropolitan Administration of Bangkok were closed due to pollution.
The number is much higher than the approximately 200 schools that did not open the day before in Bangcoque, whose metropolitan area houses more than 17 million people.
The city was classified as the eighth most polluted city in the world, according to the IQAIR portal, which measures air quality worldwide, by measuring PM2.5 particle levels, registering 175 micrograms per cubic meter (µg /m³), well above the limit of 25 µg/m³ recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The capital of Bangladesh, Daca, the Pakistani city of Lahore and the capital of Nepal, Katmandu, head the list with a concentration of more than 200 µg/m³.
WHO advises to avoid exposure for more than 24 hours to concentrations of PM2.5 over 25 mcg/m3, due to the risk of respiratory, cardiovascular and carcinogens associated with these particles, so small that they can pass directly to the bloodstream .
Thai Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit announced today that the trains and electric buses will be free in Bangkok, which is trafficked by traffic, for seven days, from January 25 to 31, 2025, among some of the measures designed to reduce to air pollution.
However, the Thai agriculture ministry has tried to clean the sky, creating artificial clouds to increase moisture level and reduce pollutant particles that float in the atmosphere. Agricultural burnings are also being controlled.
One of the main problems of atmospheric pollution in Thailand is the time of burning agricultural collus, which usually occurs between January and April, early in the plantation season, coinciding with the country’s dry season.
This burning, a cheaper method than the removal of plants by hand or with machines, is used by farmers in Thailand and neighboring countries, such as Cambodia, Burma and Laos.
