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The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) will ask the government to declare Bangkok as an air pollution control area as PM2.5 levels are expected to surge again over the next seven days.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said on Wednesday he will submit the proposal to the cabinet for a decision next week. When Bangkok is declared a pollution control area, he said, the BMA will be granted more power to better handle haze pollution in the capital, allowing it to draw money from the environment fund to finance efforts to combat the PM2.5 problem. The fund was set up under the Act on the Promotion and Preservation of the Quality of the Environment.
He said the BMA is trying to do everything in its power to combat PM2.5 haze pollution. One measure is to ban non-registered six-wheeled trucks or larger ones from entering low-emission zones in the city's inner ring road system, also known as the Ratchadaphisek ring road.
A total of 259 security cameras equipped with AI technology are watching for trucks flouting the ban. He said more than 40,000 trucks have been registered so far. Those who defy the ban will face a fine of up to 2,000 baht.
The number of passengers using electric trains increased 50% last Saturday and Sunday as a result of the government's measure to offer free public transport as part of measures to combat haze pollution in Bangkok.
As a result of the measure, traffic along the roads where electric trains run, such as Phahon Yothin and Lat Phrao roads, declined by 15%, he said. From Jan 25 to Friday, people are being given free services on buses and electric trains.
The government has allocated a budget of 140 million baht to compensate operators providing free public transport for lost revenue. Mr Chadchart said the BMA has also asked companies to allow employees to work from home to curb vehicle emissions, one of the sources of the PM2.5 pollutants.
BMA spokesman Aekvarunyoo Amrapala said on Wednesday PM2.5 levels are expected to increase over the next seven days starting on Thursday. During the period, the capital is expected to experience low air ventilation and temperature inversions.
These conditions will restrict the spread and movement of air pollution, raising the level of fine dust particles, he said. "From Jan 30 to Feb 5, PM2.5 levels are expected to increase and pose a health risk," he said.
Residents have been urged to protect themselves by wearing masks when leaving home, avoiding burning waste outdoors and avoid using vehicles that emit excessive black smoke, he said.
The BMA's Air Quality Information Centre said concentrations of PM2.5 pollutants in Bangkok's 43 districts were "moderate", averaging 32.8 micrograms per cubic metre of air (µg/m³), below the safety standard of 37.5µg/m³.
Air quality updates are available through the AirBKK application, www.airbkk.com, Line Alert and the BMA's Environment Department Facebook page, he said.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul met provincial governors and state agencies on Wednesday to discuss measures to combat forest fires and haze. He said a ban on outdoor waste burning has been enforced in 17 provinces in the North.
Provincial governors will oversee air pollution control efforts in their areas and provide daily updates.