The recent cool snap may have convinced you that the days of hazardous, fine-particulate smog cloaking the capital were long over. That people could freely roam outside unmasked and unafraid.
But one look at the sky this morning belies that scenario, as green-brown haze has returned to Bangkok.
Air quality reached an “unhealthy” score of 151, according to AirVisual. That means there is an increased likelihood of adverse effects including aggravation to the heart and lungs. Everyone is advised to avoid prolonged outdoor exercise and wear protective N95-standard masks when outside. Inside, air purifiers should be turned on.
The smog is expected to persist this week with air quality hovering between “unhealthy” and “unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” levels. Pollution isn’t predicted to fall back to wonderfully “moderate” level again until next Tuesday.
Many people have taken to social media to vent about the return of the smog.
หมดลมหนาว ฝุ่นก็มา กทม อากาศนิ่ง ฝุ่นลอยอ้อยอิ่ง มัวชิบหายนี่มองระยะใกล้ๆ ยังไม่เห็นตึกสถานีถัดไปเลยจร้า #ฝุ่นPM25 pic.twitter.com/AOCO7vYTiL
— บ่นคนเดียว (@Miracle_Life) December 11, 2019
“Once the chilly breeze passed, the dust is back. It’s dusty and smoggy in Bangkok again. I can’t even see buildings near the next station,” @Miracle_Life tweeted around 9:30am today along with pictures of the smoggy skyline from an unidentified BTS Skytrain station.
วันนี้ กทม. ฝุ่นเยอะมาก หนาจนมองแทบไม่เห็นตึกสูงไกลๆเลย 😰🤧😷#ฝุ่นPM25 #ฝุ่นกรุงเทพ #ฝุ่นมลพิษ pic.twitter.com/2IsSkUrqfF
— ぼう🌚 (@boupamadoo) December 11, 2019
“Today in Bangkok, there is a lot of dust. It is so thick that I can’t see tall buildings from afar,” @Boupamadoo tweeted around 8am.
Some netizens took the opportunity to get political.
#ฝุ่นPM25 กลับมาอีกแล้ว
สรุปไอ้นายกโง่ๆมันไม่ใส่ใจแก้ไขจริงๆใช่ไหม— Rasan K (@RasanK3) December 11, 2019
“Fine PM2.5 dust is back. So to conclude our prime minister is dumb. He didn’t truly fix the problem right?” RasanK3 tweeted around 7am.
So stay safe, this week lovely readers and keep those masks on!
สีน้ำตาลคือฝุ่นนะ 😱😷 #ฝุ่นPM25 #bkk pic.twitter.com/uVeFYn4WXT
— นี่เป็นผี (@maimiiname) December 11, 2019
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