2024 - Smog in Thailand's capital - Bangkok disappears once again in the fine dust fog

The annual smog season was officially declared in Bangkok in January.
Now city employees have been ordered to work from home.
The fine dust mist comes primarily from burned fields in northern regions and from local traffic.

In addition to city employees, private sector employees should also not leave their homes for work, Bangkok authorities recommended. It was said that air pollution had risen to unhealthy levels.

Always smog

Air pollution has been a problem in northern Thailand and especially in the capital for many years. The main causes of the annual smog problem are the burning of forests and harvested fields as well as heavy traffic.

If, in dry weather, an atmospheric inversion layer is added over the region, which makes air exchange more difficult, thick smog occurs in Bangkok.

Legend:

Keystone/Sackchai Lalit

According to SRF correspondent Martin Aldrovandi, there are hardly any ways to combat the main causes of smog: Farmers have been burning their harvested fields every winter for generations. Changing this is practically impossible – “and too expensive,” says Aldrovandi. In Bangkok itself, the dense motorized traffic is primarily responsible for the smog. Changing this would be very difficult, according to the correspondent: “Public transport is insufficiently developed, and you can only get to many places in the city by car or motorbike.” After all, a new draft law in Thailand aims to curb air pollution – through taxes, financial incentives, penalties and controls. “This is just a first step – whether the measures will prove effective in practice remains to be seen,” says Aldrovandi.

In recent years, Bangkok has suffered greatly from long periods of high air pollution. They also led to school closures and other disruptions. However, the smog season usually only begins at the end of February, and not in January, as is the case this year.