Air pollution in Thailand’s capital forced the closure of more than 350 schools on Friday, city authorities said, the highest number in five years. Bangkok officials announced free public transportation for a week in a bid to reduce traffic in a city known for noxious gases.
Seasonal air pollution has long plagued Thailand, like many countries in the region, but this week’s deadly conditions have closed most schools since 2020. “The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has closed 352 schools in 31 districts due to air pollution,” the authority said.
On Thursday, more than 250 schools in Bangkok were closed due to pollution, as officials urged people to work from home and restricted heavy vehicles in the city. “The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has closed 352 schools in 31 districts due to air pollution,” the authority said.
On Thursday, more than 250 schools in Bangkok were closed due to pollution, as officials urged people to work from home and restricted heavy vehicles in the city.
Air pollution affects the Southeast Asian nation seasonally, as colder, stagnant winter air combines with smoke from burning crop stubble and car fumes.
On Friday morning, the level of PM2.5 pollutants (cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs) reached 108 micrograms per cubic meter, according to IQAir. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that average 24-hour exposures be no more than 15 on most days of the year.
The seventh most polluted city in the world
The reading makes the Thai capital the seventh most polluted city in the world today. By Friday morning, 352 of the 437 schools under the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority had closed their doors, affecting thousands of students.
Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on Thursday ordered a ban on stubble burning, which intentionally burns surplus crops to clear fields, with those responsible risking prosecution.
In another attempt to curb pollution, a government minister said on Friday that public transport in Bangkok would be free for a week. The capital’s Skytrain, metro, light rail and bus services will be free for users starting Saturday, Transport Minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit told reporters. “We hope this policy will help reduce pollution.”
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, on Thursday called for stricter measures to combat pollution, including limiting construction in the capital and seeking cooperation from nearby countries.
Cities in neighboring Vietnam and Cambodia also ranked high on IQAir’s most polluted list on Friday, with Ho Chi Minh in second place and Phnom Penh in fifth place.
Cambodia’s environment ministry confirmed on Friday that air quality in Phnom Penh and three other provinces had reached a “red level,” meaning highly polluted.
The ministry said in a statement that air pollution was caused by climate change, waste incineration and forest fires, and urged the public to monitor their health and avoid outdoor activities. Air pollution has recently closed schools in other parts of Asia, specifically Pakistan and India. Nearly two million students in and around New Delhi were told to stay home in November after authorities ordered schools to close due to worsening air pollution.
Pakistan’s most populous province, Punjab, closed schools in major smog-affected cities for two weeks in November, with thousands hospitalized as air pollutants reached 30 times the level considered acceptable by the WHO.
The school closures in Bangkok come as Unicef said in a report that the schooling of 242 million children was affected by climate crises in 2024. Climate change can worsen the problem of air pollution, which is considered a “secondary impact of climate-induced hazards,” according to the report released Friday.
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