Hazy shade of winter
Waking up to a misty skyline resembling the mysterious town of Silent Hill, a survival horror video game, with the haze foreshadowing obscured dangers lurking in thick smog, is jarring for all Bangkok residents.
The level of particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres, or ultra-fine dust particles, in the Bangkok area has exceeded the permissible “safe” threshold of 50 microgrammes per cubic metre since early this month.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) ordered 437 schools in Bangkok to close last Wednesday because of the hazardous dust levels. The BMA has since decided to reopen all these schools after the air quality in the capital improved slightly.
Dusida Worrachaddejchai, Suchit Leesa-Nguansuk & Piyachart Maikaew
