The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) could attempt to create rain artificially over the city as early as Tuesday to curb the air pollution that’s threatening residents’ health.
Pralong Damrongthai, director of Pollution Control Department (PCD), said the timing would depend on humidity and wind direction.
He was attending a City Hall meeting of agencies on the threat posed by PM2.5, which refers to airborne particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter.
Also attending the meeting, according to BMA Environment Office director Chatree Wattanakhajorn, were representatives of the, Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation, Traffic Police Division, Department of Land Transport and Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand.
Chatree said district offices had already launched short-term daily measures such as cleaning the roads, enforcing a ban on outdoor burning, pulling over vehicles emitting black exhaust fumes, strictly controlling dust from construction sites and having police untangle traffic jams more quickly.
The PCD expects the air quality on Tuesday to remain poor and is advising residents to restrict their vehicle use especially if their vehicles belch black smoke and to refrain from burning refuse outdoors.
Offending private vehicles can be reported to the Department of Land Transport at hotline 1584 and buses billowing black exhaust to the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority at 1348 or Traffic Police at 1197.
For advice on health, call the PCD at 1422 or the Public Health Ministry at 1669.
