*Cough cough* It’s that time of the year again.
Don’t mistake this morning’s cloudy, hazy weather for winter fog. Smog has revisited Bangkok again with pollution levels registering above 150 on the air quality scale, a level said to be “unhealthy” for residents.
The small and hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 are not a new issue that just occurred, but rather a persistent health threat for a few years now.
Prolonged exposure to the pollutants poses health risks associated with respiratory diseases.
Previous City Hall administrations failed to rein in the problem and mitigate its effects.
The issues are now in the hands of Bangkok Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt, who vowed to tackle it with several policies. Among them was increasing pollutant monitoring and warning systems at 1,000 locations throughout Bangkok and taking legal action against major polluters.
