Capital’s PM2.5 levels soar
published : 31 Jan 2024 at 08:29
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Apinya Wipatayotin
Levels of PM2.5 pollution surpassed the safe threshold throughout Bangkok on Tuesday morning.
According to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda), 49 districts in the capital had surpassed the safe threshold of 37.5 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³).
There were 10 districts where the dust levels were more than 100 µg/m³, which is considered to have “serious” effects on health, with Bangkok Yai peaking at 107.5.
Dust levels in nine other districts — Bang Kholaem, Thung Kru, Thon Buri, Bang Na, Yannawa, Klong San, Bang Khunthian, Rat Burana and Phra Khanong — ranged from 105 to 107.1.
In the provinces, the highest level was reported in Samut Sakhon adjacent to Bangkok at 101.6.
Meanwhile, the Thai Meteorological Department said dust would stay around Bangkok and adjacent provinces due to weak winds.
The department also said hotspots caused by burning, such as forest fires, had been detected in many areas and around neighbouring countries, which also caused the rise of PM2.5 levels throughout the central region of Thailand.
The highest number of hotspots was in Cambodia.
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Vocabulary
- capital: the most important town or city of a country, usually where the central government operates from - เมืองหลวง
- dust: very small pieces of dirt that cover surfaces inside buildings like a powder - ฝุ่น
- hotspot: a place where there is a lot of activity, or a higher temperature than normal -
- Meteorological Department: the government department in charge of determining what the weather will be in the future - กรมอุตุนิยมวิทยา
- peak (adj): the time when something is at its highest or greatest level - ช่วงเวลาที่หนาแน่น, ช่วงเวลาที่พบมากที่สุด
- soar: to rise very quickly to a high level - มีความหวังสูง,พุ่งพรวดขึ้น
- surpass: to do or be better than somebody/something - เหนือกว่า, เก่งกว่า, ดีกว่า, เกินกว่า
- threshold: the level or point at which you start to experience something, or at which something starts to happen - จุดเริ่มของประสบการณ์หรือเหตุการณ์ใหม่ๆ
