Bangkok air pollution forces 352 schools to close

BANGKOK:

Air pollution in the Thai capital forced more than 350 schools to close on Friday, city authorities said, the highest number in five years.

Bangkok officials also announced free public transport for a week in a bid to reduce traffic in a city notorious for noxious exhaust fumes.

Seasonal air pollution has long afflicted Thailand, like many countries in the region, but this week's hazy conditions have closed the most schools since 2020.

"It's hard to breathe... I really feel the burn in my throat," drinks seller Benjawan Suknae, 61, told AFP.

"I think (school closures) could help to a certain point."

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said it had closed 352 schools across 31 districts due to air pollution.

More than 250 schools in Bangkok were closed on Thursday, and officials urged people to work from home and restricted heavy vehicles in the city.

Air pollution hits the Southeast Asian nation seasonally as colder, stagnant winter air combines with smoke from crop stubble burning and car fumes.

The level of PM2.5 pollutants -- cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs -- hit 108 micrograms per cubic metre by Friday, according to IQAir.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 24-hour average exposures should not be more than 15 for most days of the year.

The reading makes the Thai capital currently the world's seventh-most polluted major city.

By Friday morning, 352 of the 437 schools under the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA) had shut their doors, affecting thousands of students.

Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul ordered a ban on Thursday on stubble burning -- intentionally burning leftover crops to clear fields -- with those responsible risking legal prosecution.

In another bid to curb pollution, the capital's Skytrain, metro, light rail system and bus services will be free to users for a week from Saturday, transport minister Suriya Juangroongruangkit told reporters.

"We hope this policy will help reduce pollution," he said.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is currently attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, called for tougher measures to tackle pollution on Thursday, including limiting construction in the capital and seeking cooperation from nearby countries.

The city's authorities introduced a voluntary work-from-home scheme for three days this week. Q