Authorities in Bangkok have brought in measures to curb high levels of air pollution, which have forced a number of flights to be diverted away from one of the Thai capital’s international airports.
Over the past two weeks the city’s air quality has reached harmful levels, which led to the closure of 350 schools and authorities offered free public transport for a week, to help reduce traffic and fumes.
The government also banned the burning of leftover crops.
The air pollution levels caused visibility issues at Don Mueang Airport, and The Straits Times reported on Sunday several flights had to be diverted to the city’s other airport, Suvarnabhumi, including an AirAsia flight from Harbin, China.
Other flights, including an AirAsia arrival from Chiang Mai and a Lion Air flight from Ahmedabad, India had to circle the airport until visibility improved.
The Bangkok Air Quality website reported on Sunday that the PM2.5 particle levels at Don Mueang Airport had reached 64.7 micrograms per cubic meter, well above Thailand’s safety threshold of 37.5.
PM2.5 consists of fine particles measuring 2.5 micrometers or smaller, capable of entering the lungs and bloodstream, possibly causing respiratory and heart diseases.
Today (Tuesday) the PM2.5 level sits at 43.8.
Health recommendations advise people to reduce outside exercise, close windows, and wear masks outside.
Travel Gossip’s Senior Reporter Kelly Ranson was in the city for four days last week.
“On arrival I instantly felt the air was ‘closer’ than the islands I had left,” she said. “Initially I wasn’t particularly worried as I had read that pollution levels had dropped. Waking up in my hotel room on the 31st floor on the first morning, it seemed relatively clear across the skyline, but as the days went on the smog and haze became more noticeable and I wasn’t able to see some of the buildings in the distance I had seen earlier in the week.
“Being able to use the Skytrain for free was a great help for me as a tourist, but it was also packed with more locals than normal. On the two occasions I used a tuktuk I made sure to wear a face mask, to protect from the dust. I did feel some irritation in my eyes and throat, but thankfully it was short-lived. I would definitely recommend having some masks to hand, just in case.
“If you didn’t know about the smog from social media and the news you would probably have been none the wiser and just accepted it was the haze of a bustling Asian city. All attractions, temples and parks were open, but I expect mask wearing will continue to be more common until the levels drop further.”
Photo: A generic image of the Bangkok skyline in smog
