The government has announced urgent measures to combat the PM2.5 pollution crisis, including offering free bus and electric train rides and asking private companies to allow employees to work from home.
In a message posted on Facebook on Friday, Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra expressed concern over the problem, saying she has instructed agencies to implement urgent, short-term measures to address it.
One measure is for state agencies to allow officials to work from home while private companies will be asked to do the same in order to curb vehicle emissions, which is one of the sources of ultra-fine dust, or the PM2.5 pollutants.
She said she also instructed the Transport Ministry to subsidise free buses and electric trains for seven days starting on Saturday.
The Department of Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation was also instructed to carry out cloud-seeding operations to produce more rain and improve the air quality in Bangkok, the prime minister wrote.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment must monitor slash-and-burn practices in every province closely and take action against those who engaged in these activities, which contribute to haze pollution, Ms Paetongtarn wrote.
The Digital Economy and Society Ministry was also instructed to set up an application for people to report incidents of waste burning so measures can be taken to deal with them swiftly.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt was asked to inspect construction sites in the capital and ensure dust shields are properly installed to contain the spread of airborne particles during construction.
When air circulation is poor, contractors will be asked to halt construction temporarily until the air quality improves, Ms Paetongtarn wrote, adding police were instructed to step up inspections of vehicles for excessive black smoke emissions.
"The government will put short-term and long-term measures in place to address the problem," the prime minister posted.
Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit said he had informed the operators of the electric rail services, BTS and BEM, about the measures. A budget of about 140 million baht will be allocated to subsidise the fares for electric train travel during the seven-day period, he said.
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday defended the government's efforts to combat the PM2.5 problem following heavy criticism it was slow to act.
Thaksin, father of Ms Paetongtarn, also backed the government's measures, including banning purchases and sales of corn and sugar cane grown in fields that have been cleared for farming via the slash-and-burn method.
Thaksin admitted that the problem was more severe than expected.
Bangkok was ranked as the fourth-worst city in the world for air quality yesterday, according to the data from Swiss-based IQAir. The air quality index hit 188 as of 9.40am.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration declared 48 of its 50 districts as red (hazardous-to-health) zones, with PM2.5 levels averaging 88.4 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³).
Nong Khaem was the most affected district (108 µg/m³), followed by Khan Na Yao, Min Buri, Thawi Watthana and Laksi. City Hall urged residents to work from home and avoid outdoor activities.
Chiang Mai ranked 23rd with an index of 127µg/m³. The government-set safe threshold is 37.5µg/m³.
