Bangkok officials asked to work from home due to pollution. (Photo: bangkokpost.com)Bangkok (VNA) – Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)officials in Thailand have been instructed to work from home during February15-16 to avoid harmful air pollution caused by dangerously high levels of PM2.5 across the capital.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the BMAhas also called on its 151 agencies and private partners in Bangkok to considerallowing their staff to work from home. Chadchart estimates that this willresult in some 60,000 people staying at home for two days.
However, schools in metropolitan Bangkok willhold classes until February 16 as usual, Chadchart said, adding that schoolsare already under the city’s Safety Zone where measures have been implementedto minimise the impact of pollution. These measures include handing out ofsafety masks and cancelling outdoor activities if necessary.
PM2.5 readings at 11am on February 14 stoodat 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. PM2.5readings of 75µg/m³ or higher are deemed “dangerous to health”.
As the PM2.5 pollution continues to intensify,people living in the city are advised to stay informed about air pollutionlevels via AirBKK's Line Alert.
According to the Pollution Control Department (PCD), the PM2.5pollution situation in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces will intensifyuntil February 17, while the Meteorological Department said air stagnation, akey factor exacerbating PM2.5 pollution, began on February 14 and will continue on February 15.
An airquality update supplied by a team from multiple organisations, including theGeo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda), showed 39 outof Thailand's 77 provinces on February14 were in PM2.5 pollution red zones, while Bangkok saw 40 districts outof its 50 record extremely high PM2.5 levels, thus posing a health threat toresidents./.
