Toxic haze covers Bangkok as Thailand reels from worsening air pollution
2025.01.28
Bangkok

As a toxic haze blankets Bangkok’s skyline, the Thai government is facing mounting criticism over its handling of a persistent air pollution crisis across the nation.
As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, the air quality index (AQI) in Thailand’s capital stood at 114 – considered unhealthy for groups with health risks, including children and people with respiratory diseases – according to World Air Quality Index, a nonprofit which monitors levels of pollution in the air globally.
The worsening situation with dirty air in Bangkok and other Thai regions led UNICEF to warn on Monday that escalating levels of PM2.5 air pollution were “putting the health of approximately 13.6 million children across Thailand at risk.”
PM2.5 are hazardous airborne particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter – about 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. They can cause severe health problems, including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, according to health experts.

Air pollution is a chronic problem in Thailand, especially in the north, between February and May. The dirty air is mainly caused by the burning of agricultural waste and forests.
But in recent years, Bangkok and surrounding provinces have also begun to experience high levels of air pollutants, usually from December to February.
Last year, Thailand had over 1 million respiratory cases linked to air pollution, with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease accounting for 200,000 cases, according to the public health ministry last week.
“This alarming situation demands urgent action to safeguard children’s health and well-being,” UNICEF said, noting that the number of Thai children highly exposed to PM2.5 was greater than those “affected by other climate hazards, such as floods, heatwaves, and droughts.”

On Jan. 24, PM2.5 levels in Bangkok jumped from 108 to a high of 119 micrograms per cubic meter – nearly five times more than the threshold set by the World Health Organization for hazardous levels of air pollutants.
The high PM2.5 levels prompted the government to impose emergency measures in the capital, such as work-from-home directives for civil servants and the closure of more than 350 public schools to protect children from harmful exposure.
The government also collaborated with public transport providers to offer free subway, skytrain, and bus services from Jan. 25 to 31 in a bid to reduce private vehicle use.
Thai officials claimed the country was making headway in addressing the problem.
“[O]ur key performance indicator for PM2.5 has been to lower pollution levels each year,” Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said in December. “We’ve successfully reduced burned agricultural areas by 50%, and PM2.5 levels are down 30% compared to last year’s peak,” she said.

However, despite introducing several measures such as school closures and free public transport for commuters, researchers and analysts argue that the government still lacks a substantive, long-term strategy to address systemic issues that drive the persistent environmental and public health emergency.
“Encouraging 1.55 million people to use free public transport doesn’t guarantee that PM2.5 levels will improve,” said Chainarong Setthachua, an assistant social sciences professor at the Mahasarakham University.
“Closing schools might reduce children’s exposure temporarily, but it creates other problems, especially for working parents who still need to go to work,” he told BenarNews.
A long-term solution in limbo
The government has pointed to the proposed Clean Air Act, which seeks to address activities that generate air pollution, as a long-term solution.
Approved in principle by Parliament in January 2024, the draft legislation is still being reviewed by a legislative ad hoc committee.
Prime Minister Paetongtarn has also announced plans to elevate the issue to a regional level to curb cross-border haze.

Southeast Asia is a global hotspot for haze and air pollution, particularly cross-border disasters that have their roots in land conversion for large-scale agriculture.
“We need regional cooperation. It’s not just about one country’s actions, it’s a shared problem,” Paetongtarn said.
But Chainarong, the academic, argues that the government should focus first on enacting and enforcing local laws.
“Their policies are worse than those under the military-led administration. The focus should be on enforcing laws against businesses contributing to pollution, but they’re instead treating this as an ASEAN issue to deflect responsibility,” he said, referring to the 10-member Southeast Asian bloc that includes Thailand.
Another academic told BenarNews that the government needed to conduct scientific studies to guide its policy decisions.
“Thailand cannot directly apply health impact data from countries like China, the U.S., or Europe,” said Tippawan Prapamontol, a researcher at Chiang Mai University’s Health Science Research Institute.
“We need in-depth research on PM2.5 composition specific to Thailand. A strong database would allow us to identify pollution sources and develop targeted policies,” she said.

Tipawan also said that the government should be consistent in its response to the problem, noting that Chiang Mai had struggled with severe haze for more than a decade without getting the same priority for urgency as Bangkok.
“When air pollution hits Bangkok, there’s immediate action because the economic consequences are broader. But Chiang Mai’s pleas for help have gone unanswered for years,” she said.
Chainarong said Thailand’s approach to combating air pollution has been more reactive than preventive, leaving systemic issues largely unaddressed.
“I’d give this government grade an F in handling the PM2.5 problem.”
Jon Preechawong in Bangkok contributed to this report.