The Air Pollution Situation in Bangkok (January 2025)
Thailand has become one of the worst polluted countries, ranked the fourth worst in the world as of last Friday on 24th Jan 2025. Exclusively, Ho Chi Minh City has worse pollution than Bangkok and other cities such as Phnom Penh, ranked fifth, and Hanoi, ranked seventh, accordingly. [i]
Several factors, such as the widespread use of vehicles and industries, construction dust, and seasonal agricultural burning, have led to the severe pollution. Regarding excessive toxicity and unhealthy air pollution, the closure of schools, approximately 350 schools in Bangkok occurred.[ii]
The officials also urged people to work from home and limited heavy vehicles. For the purpose of reducing traffic in a city and avoiding toxic exhaust fumes, Thai officials announced free public transport, including metros and buses, for a week. As a result of restricting traffic and providing free public transportation, Thai authorities were convinced that they could reduce the pollution. [iii]
On Friday morning, the level of PM 2.5 pollutants—cancer-causing microparticles small enough to pass through the bloodstreams to the lungs—hit 108 micrograms a cubic meter, according to IQAir. By Friday morning, 352 out of 400 schools under the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority had closed their doors, avoiding negative health effects to the students. [iv]
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra who attended the World Economic Forum in Switzerland insisted on serious protocols to tackle pollution on Thursday, including the limitation of the construction in the capital and seeking cooperation from the nearby previous and neighboring countries. Neighboring countries’ cities such as Ho Chi Minh and Phnom Penh also ranked as the second and fourth most polluted top ten cities globally on Friday, according to IQAir.
Additionally, in November, schools in New Delhi and Punjabi had also closed due to the worsening air pollution and the large number of hospitalized people. According to UNICEF, air pollution, the cause of global warming, affects millions of children and causing long-term health consequences. [v]
[i] https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2946631/bangkok-ranked-4th-among-most-polluted-cities-worldwide
[ii] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/24/bangkok-pollution-hundreds-schools-closed-free-public-transport
[iii] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/24/bangkok-pollution-hundreds-schools-closed-free-public-transport
[iv] https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2946665/bangkok-air-pollution-forces-352-schools-to-close
[v] https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/to-fight-air-pollution-thailand-makes-public-rides-free-for-a-week/articleshow/117577190.cms
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