claims that schoolchildren need aircon entry
PUBLISHED: 05:55 on September 8, 2023.
A proposal to install air conditioners in 1, 743 rooms across 429 schools run by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration( BMA ) was rejected on Thursday.
The BMA’s total 90 billion baht costs budget bill, which will go into effect on October 1st for the fiscal year 2024, includes the demand for a 219 million baht budget.
According to Bangkok government Chadchart Sittipunt, the task to install air conditioning is intended to shield preschoolers between the ages of one and six from the dangerous ultra-fine PM2.5 dust waste in the area.
The government cited research from the World Health Organization that identified a specific threat to children’s health posed by the PM2.5 cloud.
The BMC debated whether it was good to keep kids in such a setting for the majority of the school day before universally rejecting the project to install air conditioning in schools.
Installing air conditioners in outdated buildings at BMA-run schools, some of which need maintenance and repair work, likewise caused the government health concerns.
The government also feared that the BMA may end up with a significant financial burden as it would have to pay for the higher energy costs associated with running air conditioners in the schools.
The BMC said it would have been inclined to approve the venture had the BMA proposed the air-con installation along with a plan to install solar-cell panels at the colleges to mitigate the energy costs. According to Churachit Phongsingwitthaya, a Pheu Thai Party council for the Lat Krabang region, the BMA had recently tested the so-called dust-free school project at 32 colleges, which did not need an air conditioning system.
He questioned why the BMA didn’t carry out the pilot project, in which schools discovered ways to lessen the effects of PM2.5 dirt by, for instance, adding more natural space, installing air purifiers, and covering structures with dust-insulating materials.
Before re-submitting the air conditioning job to the BMC for consideration, Mr. Chadchart concurred that it would include the solar panel.
These kids should all be able to study in an air-conditioned space, regardless of their financial situation.
Yet I, the city governor, also require an air-conditioned workspace after being subjected to a significant amount of dust pollution in the area. Why don’t kids be able to get this kind of safety? ” Mr. Chadchart enquired.