Bangkok says work from home as pollution blankets Thailand’s capital
- Bangkok governor warns of unhealthy levels of PM2.5 particles, problem could linger
- Thailand’s government has promised to make tackling air pollution a ‘national agenda’
Bangkok city employees have been told to work from home to avoid harmful air pollution, as a layer of noxious haze blanketed the Thai capital on Thursday.
City authorities asked for cooperation from employers to help workers in the city of some 11 million people avoid the pollution, which is expected to last into Friday.
The air monitoring website IQAir ranked Bangkok among the 10 most polluted cities in the world on Thursday morning.
Levels of the most dangerous PM2.5 particles – so tiny they can enter the bloodstream – were more than 15 times the World Health Organization’s annual guideline, according to IQAir.
“It’s getting worse because there’s too much smoke haze,” said motorcycle taxi driver Kornpong Poprakun, 57. “I feel itchy eyes because there’s a lot of dust, and breathing isn’t easy.”
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said late Wednesday that all city employees would work from home on Thursday and Friday.
