By Agence France Presse
Air pollution in Bangkok forces closure of 352 schools
By Montira RUNGJIRAJITTRANON, Sally JENSEN
Air pollution in the Thai capital forced the closure of more than 350 schools on Friday, according to city authorities, the highest number in five years.
Bangkok authorities also announced free public transportation for a week in a bid to reduce traffic in a city notorious for noxious exhaust fumes.
Seasonal air pollution has long plagued Thailand, like many countries in the region, but this week's hazy conditions have closed most schools since 2020.
“It's hard to breathe... I feel the burning in my throat,” beverage vendor Benjawan Suknae, 61, told AFP.
“I think (school closures) can help to some extent.”
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said it had closed 352 schools in 31 districts due to air pollution.
More than 250 schools in Bangkok were closed on Thursday, and authorities urged people to work from home and restricted the movement of heavy vehicles in the city.
Air pollution hits the Southeast Asian nation seasonally, as the colder, stagnant air of winter combines with smoke from burning crop stubble and car fumes.
The level of PM2.5 pollutants - cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs - was reached at 108 micrograms per cubic meter on Friday, according to IQAir.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the 24-hour average exposure should be no more than 15 on most days of the year.
With this reading, the Thai capital is currently the seventh most polluted city in the world.
On Friday morning, 352 of the 437 schools in the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) closed their doors, affecting thousands of students.
On Thursday, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered a ban on stubble burning - the intentional burning of crop remains to clear fields - and those responsible risk legal prosecution.
In another attempt to reduce pollution, the capital's Skytrain, metro, light rail, and bus services will be free for users for a week from Saturday, Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit told reporters.
“We hope this policy will help reduce pollution,” he said.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is currently attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, called for stricter measures to combat pollution on Thursday, including limiting construction in the capital and seeking cooperation from neighboring countries.
The city authorities introduced a voluntary work-from-home scheme for three days this week.
“I think there should be more awareness (by the BMA) and maybe a work-from-home policy would be better,” said freelancer Wisut Kitnarong, 59.
Neighboring cities in Vietnam and Cambodia also topped IQAir's most polluted list on Friday, with Ho Chi Minh in second and Phnom Penh in fifth.
Cambodia's Environment Ministry confirmed on Friday that the air quality in Phnom Penh and three other provinces had reached the “red level”, meaning highly polluted.
The ministry said in a statement that the air pollution was caused by climate change, waste incineration, and forest fires, and urged the public to monitor their health and avoid outdoor activities.
Air pollution has closed schools in other parts of Asia recently, specifically in Pakistan and India.
Around two million students in and around New Delhi were told to stay at home in November after the authorities ordered the closure of schools due to worsening air pollution.
Pakistan's most populous province, Punjab, closed schools in major cities hit by air pollution for two weeks in November, with thousands of people hospitalized because air pollutants reached 30 times the level considered acceptable by the WHO.
The closure of schools in Bangkok comes at a time when UNICEF said in a report that the schooling of 242 million children will be affected by climate shocks by 2024.
Climate change could worsen the problem of air pollution, which is considered a “secondary impact of climate-induced risks”, according to the report published on Friday.
burs-sjc/fox/pbt
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