15 provinces red-zoned, less than half within safe limits
PUBLISHED : 12 Dec 2023 at 10:15
Hazardous smog levels continue to thicken, especially in the Central Plain, with the worst level of PM2.5 dust reaching 134.8 microgrammes per cubic metre of air on Tuesday morning, up from 96.6µg/m³ on Monday, according to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda).
At 7am on Tuesday, 15 provinces in the Central Plain were blanketed with red-code levels of particulate matter 2.5 micrometres and less in diameter (PM2.5), including Greater Bangkok.
The worst level was in Chachoengsao province, at 134.8µg/m³r, followed by 113.5µg/m³ in Ang Thong, 110.0µg/m³ in Samut Sakhon, 109.6µg/m³ in Nonthaburi, 109.2µg/m³ in Sing Buri, 104.3µg/m³ in Chon Buri, 100.5µg/m³ in Pathum Thani, 99.8µg/m³ in Bangkok, 97.6µg/m³ in Lop Buri and Nakhon Pathom, 97.2µg/m³ in Saraburi, 96.0µg/m³ in Ayutthaya, 93.0µg/m³ in Samut Prakan, 87.8µg/m³ in Suphan Buri and 78.6µg/m³ in Kanchanaburi.
The 15 provinces were mapped with red zones of PM2.5 indicating thick smog seriously harmful to health.
Most other central plain and northeastern provinces were covered in orange levels of PM2.5, meaning the air pollution was starting to affect health.
Only 30 of the 77 provinces, 38%, were within the government’s safe threshold of 37.5µg/m³. They were in the South, the North and parts of the Northeast. The provinces included Chiang Rai, with the lowest level of PM2.5 at 7.4µg/m³, Mae Hong Son (7.6µg/m³), Chiang Mai (8.3µg/m³), Phuket (10.5µg/m³), Lamphun (11.8µg/m³), Phayao and Phangnga (12.9µg/m³), Chumphon (13.3µg/m³) and Amnat Charoen (14.0µg/m³).
Other provinces with PM2.5 levels ranging from 15.8 to 37.2µg/m³ were, in an ascending order of the levels, Mukdahan, Surat Thani, Krabi, Ranong, Lampang, Nan, Yasothon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phrae, Satun, Phatthalung, Yala, Narathiwat, Trang, Songkhla, Pattani, Nakhon Phanom, Sakon Nakhon, Si Sa Ket, Bung Kan and Tak.
A Gistda map of Thailand shows the areas with harmful levels of PM2.5 at 7am on Tuesday.