City officials to work from home for 2 days as Bangkok chokes from severe pollution
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) officials have been instructed to work from home for the next couple of days to minimise health impact and to reduce pollution from traffic emissions.
The work-from-home order on Wednesday was prompted by dangerously high levels of PM2.5 across the capital.
PM2.5 refers to dust particles 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter, long-term exposure to which is linked with chronic diseases including lung and heart problems.
PM2.5 readings at 11am on Wednesday stood at 75 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) in more than 20 districts of Bangkok, double Thailand’s safety standard of 37.5µg/m³ for a 24-hour average. PM2.5 readings of 75µg/m³ or higher are deemed “dangerous to health”.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the BMA has also called on its 150-plus agencies and private partners in Bangkok to consider allowing their staff to work from home on Thursday and Friday. Chadchart estimates that this would result in some 60,000 people staying at home for two days.
Schools in metropolitan Bangkok will hold classes until Friday as usual, Chadchart said, adding that schools are already under the city’s Safety Zone where measures have been implemented to minimise the impact of pollution. These measures include handing out of safety masks and cancelling outdoor activities if necessary.
The Pollution Control Department has predicted a surge in PM2.5 levels in Bangkok and Central Thailand from Wednesday to Saturday due to air stagnation and a rising number of hotspots from outdoor fires in the North and Northeast of Thailand as well as in Cambodia.
The department said smog created by these fires will eventually be brought to metropolitan areas by the easterly and northeasterly winds.
To check the state of air pollution in your area, download the application AirBKK. City residents can also report pollution sources via BMA’s Traffy Fondue application.
