Over 100 schools in Thailand's Bangkok city have suspended in-person classes and shifted to online learning due to severe air pollution affecting the capital and over 60 provinces nationwide.
According to AirBKK, the Air Quality Monitoring Centre of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), the PM2.5 fine particulate matter level in the capital reached 100.7 µg/m³, far exceeding the government’s safety threshold of 37.5 µg/m³.
All 50 districts of Bangkok have faced critical air quality issues since January 22, attributed to poor ventilation conditions and heavy traffic emissions. Factors such as increased congestion, compounded by the closure of flyovers for Orange Line metro construction, have worsened the situation.
As of January 23, the BMA has banned unregistered trucks from entering Bangkok's low-emission zones. To enforce this, 259 AI-equipped security cameras have been deployed to monitor violations, with offenders facing penalties.
Nationwide, air pollution has reached alarming levels. On the morning of January 23, 44 provinces recorded PM2.5 levels in the red zone, with 19 provinces exceeding triple-digit PM2.5 concentrations.
An additional 27 provinces reported orange-level pollution, posing health risks. Only six provinces in northern and southern Thailand reported moderate to good air quality.
