Imagine waking up to a world dimmed by a grey veil, where the city’s once-soaring skyscrapers are reduced to mere silhouettes against a choked sky. That’s not a scene from a dystopian novel — it’s just another Wednesday morning in bustling Bangkok, where smog took a front-row seat and simply refused to budge.
The air we breathe is our lifeline, yet on this very morning in 55 out of Thailand’s 77 vibrant provinces, this lifeline was tainted with a haze of particulate intruders. Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda), our watchful eye on the environmental skies, tolled the bell of warning at 9am sharp. It disclosed a rather unsettling tapestry of numbers, with PM2.5 levels – those tiny hazardous particles you can’t see but certainly can feel – ranging from 38.7 to an alarming 113.6 microgrammes per cubic meter of air over the course of 24 hours. Anything beyond the government-sanctioned haven of 37.5µg/m³ spells trouble. And there was certainly trouble.
Let’s take a step back to Tuesday, where the air quality was far from a round of applause, showcasing pockets of pollution that prided themselves with scores of up to 145.2µg/m³. Moving forward to our smoggy Wednesday tableau, 20 provinces were bathed in red—the color symbolizing a serious no-go for health and wellness, ordained by an invisible yet brutish cloud of fine dust pollution.
The offenders read like a list of tourist destinations now transformed into reluctant hosts to an unwanted grey party. Topping the list with a glum gold medal was Ang Thong, peaking at 113.6µg/m³, followed by a procession of locations — Chai Nat, Singburi, Lop Buri, all the way to Samut Prakan, each succumbing to the grip of pollution.
An additional 35 provinces, while not yet in the red, waved the orange flag, indicating levels of PM2.5 that were starting to ring alarm bells of health concerns. Among these, scenic spots like Phetchaburi, Prachin Buri, and Phetchabun, known for their picturesque landscapes, now shared a common polluted haze blurting out the vibrancy of life beneath.
Bangkok, the heart of Thailand, was no stranger to this aerial assault either. With an average PM2.5 level of 80.1µg/m³, the air was thick with more than just humidity. Districts like Don Muang outstripped others sorely with readings soaring to a staggering 181.2µg/m³. Laksi, Sai Mai, Bang Khen, and Nong Khaem followed, casting a shadow over the capital’s usually vibrant lifestyle.
Meanwhile, Gistda’s satellite eyes spied a battlefield of heat beyond the city’s borders. With 310 hotspots igniting within Thai farmlands, the act of burning residue from the harvest was contributing its fair share to the murky haze. Across borders, the story wasn’t any brighter, with Cambodia, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Laos marking their own spots on the thermal map.
As the sun set on this smoggy day, the bustling life of Thailand was a testament to resilience, but the silent cry for clearer skies went unheeded. Nonetheless, the hope for a breath of fresh air persists, as does the indomitable spirit of the land of smiles.
Be First to Comment