Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Friday warned on his Facebook page warning that vehicles with exhaust emissions that exceed safe limits will be black-listed and banned from the road amid concern over the sharp rise in PM2.5 dust levels across the capital.
The premier wrote that these polluting vehicles not only face being impounded but also being required to pass undergo more rigorous inspections before being allowed back on the roads.
He also urged people to report the licence plates of vehicles that emit particularly thick exhaust fumes.
According to recent data from the Pollution Control Department (PCD), PM2.5 levels in 43 of the capital's 50 districts were unsafe yesterday morning.
However, the area of the country with the highest PM2.5 levels was Samut Sakhon province.
The worst pollution was recorded in tambon Mahachai of Muang district in Samut Sakhon at 109 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³). The domestic so-called safe threshold is 50 µg/m³.
In Bangkok, the level of PM2.5 particulate matter also rose above 90 µg/m³ in Bang Kho Laem, Phra Nakhon, Bang Khunthian districts. In Phasi Charoen district, PM2.5 levels on Phetkasem Road hit 101 µg/m³.
Meanwhile, the PCD reported that PM2.5 levels in nine provinces in the North ranged from 29-87 µg/m³ as of noon yesterday. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon told media yesterday that the government will provide masks for people suffering because of the unhealthy air.
PM2.5 refers to particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, about 3% that of a human hair. Such matter can lodge in people's lungs and enter blood vessels, leading to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.