Land of smiles buried behind face masks

Land of smiles buried behind face masks

Greenpeace has implored Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to deal with the haze that continues to blacken Bangkok's air after weeks of toxic smog, presenting him with a "symbolic" dust-filled sandglass Thursday to stress how time is running out.

"This sandglass is a symbol of urgency in a fight against the air pollution crisis," Greenpeace Thailand director Thara Buakamsri said as he petitioned Gen Prayut to treat the matter as a high priority national agenda item.

Greenpeace collected dust from various areas in the capital and provinces where pollution is a problem and put it in the sandglass, in the hope the trickling dust would remind the government about the damage that pollution can cause, it said.

Over the last 52 days from Jan 1 to Feb 21, Bangkok has suffered chronic air pollution with levels of PM2.5 in some areas exceeding a safety limit set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for up to 40 days, Mr Thara said.

On Valentine's Day the weather was anything but romantic as the Pollution Control Department announced PM2.5 hit "dangerous" levels in many areas.

On Intharaphithak Road in western Bangkok, the ultra-fine dust particles reached 72 microgrammes per cubic metre, against the Thai standard of 50 µcg over a 24-hour average. The WHO gives 10 µcg as an acceptable limit.

PM2.5 is so harmful because the tiny microns, more narrow than a single human hair, can lodge deep inside lung tissue with ease, exposing people to severe respiratory disorders.

"Bangkok residents should not breathe in this toxic dust any more," Mr Thara said, adding the pollution will affect the city's economy in the long run.

Despite this bleak outlook the authorities have not set adequate goals to fix it, he said.

Gen Prayut should update the air quality index and fast-track efforts to deal with dust from ageing cars, outdoor burning and power plants, he added. "Do it now or wait until it's too late."

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