Air pollution levels in Thailand’s Bangkok have risen in the last few weeks ranking the tourist destination above Beijing and New Delhi on some days on the list of Asia’s most polluted cities. Beijing and New Delhi generally dominate the top two positions on the list, Bloomberg reported.
Thailand’s health ministry has attributed the rise to several factors including vehicular emissions, smoke from the burning of waste and unusual weather patterns.
On Friday, air quality levels were ranked at 148 in the “unhealthy” category in Bangkok. The national rainmaking agency conducted sorties over the city to counter the haze this week.
“People should not panic,” Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatavadorn told reporters on Wednesday. “The government is not standing still and is monitoring the situation closely.”
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