Smog to exact heavy price

[webfact]

Smog to exact heavy price

By Pratch Rujivanarom 
The Nation

 

 

Chula academic calls for radical measures to reduce the number of vehicles on the streets of Bangkok

 

THE SEVERE air pollution problem in Bangkok will take a heavy toll on the country’s economy unless the authorities can effectively clear the smog, a research report warned yesterday.

 

A Kasikorn Research Centre analysis yesterday said the smog could cost Thailand Bt6.6 billion in losses for the healthcare and tourism sectors due to the impact of the recent PM2.5 crisis.

 

The analysis stated that the healthcare and tourism sectors would be affected the most from the smog, as people face serious risks to their health from the excessively high PM2.5 levels, while the pollution and smog in the city were driving tourists away from Bangkok, hitting the tourism industry. 

 

According to the statistics on air pollution-related sicknesses, cited in the Kasikorn Research Centre analysis, it was found that the harmful PM2.5 level had already increased the number of patients with respiratory diseases in the capital. It is estimated that at least 2.4 million people out of 11 million citizens in Bangkok now suffer from allergies and respiratory diseases.

 

Kasikorn Research Centre estimated that the higher expenditure on medical treatment would cause loss of opportunity to the economic system of up to Bt3.1 billion.

 

Meanwhile, it was also found that many tourists were leaving the capital for other destinations to avoid the harmful air quality in Bangkok.

The analysis warned that unless authorities come up with mitigation measures to relieve the air pollution problem soon, a large number of tourists may cancel their trips to Thailand, inflicting losses to the tourism industry estimated at up to Bt3.5 billion, or 4.5 per cent of overall tourism revenue in Bangkok, during this time of the year.

 

However, the analysis highlighted that this was just a preliminary estimate of economic losses from air pollution. The full extent of the economic damage will depend on the duration and severity of the smog crisis and the effectiveness of authorities in tackling this problem.

 

Kasikorn Research Centre urged the authorities to thoroughly identify the causes of air pollution, as well as learn from other countries’ efforts to tackle air pollution in order to lay out a long-term action plan to sustainably solve the smog problem for the long run.

 

Meanwhile, Assoc Professor Manoj Lohatepanont, Chulalongkorn University’s Transportation Institute director, suggested that the most efficient way to improve air quality in Bangkok was to lower the number of cars on the streets. 

 

“The best solution to mitigate air pollution is to cut down pollution emission at its source,” Manoj said.

 

“Pollution from traffic is unarguably one of the biggest factors behind the severe smog in the city, so the simplest way to reduce pollution emissions from the transport sector is to remove as many vehicles as possible from the roads.”

 

He pointed out that there was evidence that his suggestion would be effective in reducing air pollution in the city. Bangkok’s air-quality chart clearly showed that the air quality in Bangkok greatly improved during the long New Year holidays when a majority of cars were off the capital’s streets.

 

The air pollution rebounded to harmful levels again after the long holidays, as people returned to Bangkok and the city was bogged down in heavy traffic.

 

Even though the proposal to lower the traffic volume may on the surface appear too radical and unrealistic for implementation in a bustling city like Bangkok, he maintained that this goal could actually be achieved.

 

“It can be achieved by issuing supporting measures: for instance, announcing a day off for schools in Bangkok on days when the PM2.5 level is high or offering incentives to encourage people to use public transport, I am certain the number of private cars on Bangkok’s streets can be substantially lowered,” he said.

 

He emphasised that as every citizen in the course of their daily lives was adding to the air pollution, everyone had a duty to keep the air clean. He said they could contribute to this cause by refraining from driving a car and by trying to avoid travelling unnecessarily.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30362320

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-01-16

[kannot]

im  gonna  stop  breathing .........its  probably  a  better plan

[Crossy]

I drive to the most convenient mass-transit station (35km) then BTS and MRT around town.

[Chippy151]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

THE SEVERE air pollution problem in Bangkok will take a heavy toll on the country’s economy unless the authorities can effectively clear the smog, a research report warned yesterday.

The authorities need to consider human life and the health of the people in Bangkok first. They will probably only  consider the situation an emergency when certain people's wealth is affected.

[Chippy151]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

According to the statistics on air pollution-related sicknesses, cited in the Kasikorn Research Centre analysis, it was found that the harmful PM2.5 level had already increased the number of patients with respiratory diseases in the capital. It is estimated that at least 2.4 million people out of 11 million citizens in Bangkok now suffer from allergies and respiratory diseases.

That's more than 20% of the population. Wow!!

Bangkok. What a great place to visit.

That's the best tourism slogan I can think of this early in the morning.

[RotMahKid]

Dirty seawater, dirty beaches and now also dirty air, what's next oh and I forgot the dirty politicians, police and other bureaucrats.

[mok199]

We do have some nice shopping centers in Pattaya with clean air, sadly that's all we have.   see you at the mall

[bdenner]

Aircraft flying around burning up a 1000 litres of fuel to spray a 1000 litres of water???

I guess by Thai logic that'll work!

[anon4546543]

It does not require a wise man such as myself to explain that

slow moving vehicles in huge congested areas will eventually 

pollute a city such as Bangkok. lol  Seriously the congestion is out of control.

Maybe create another major IT city away from the sinking city of Bangkok.

Maybe the former capital where they do have water control.

[mikebell]

I have a plan to cut pollution by traffic.  An editorial by major media like newspapers/TV about the utter futility of allowing loudspeaker vans to tour town centres.  Can  the business people who pay for this service not see the effect on potential customers?

Nobody walks in Thailand so nobody hears more than a scrap of the broadcasted message.  The slow moving vehicles, besides emitting pollutants of their own, bring traffic to a crawl which also increases traffic pollution/motorist impatience.

Would you patronise a business that inflicts health hazards and delays on the general public?  I notice now they are driving in convoys of two to maximise the inconvenience.

[jonclark]

I think Prayut needs to start praying again..i mean he credited his prayers for helping Thailand avoid the ravages of Storm Pabuk, so a bit of smog should be cleared up by tea time. On your knees Prayut and start praying!

[YetAnother]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

while the pollution and smog in the city were driving tourists away from Bangkok, hitting the tourism industry. 

bout time for one of those truth-stretching TAT officials to say tourists like the smog

[leeneeds]

So happy to see this going on,

 more please sir ,

[fruitman]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile, Assoc Professor Manoj Lohatepanont, Chulalongkorn University’s Transportation Institute director, suggested that the most efficient way to improve air quality in Bangkok was to lower the number of cars on the streets. 

 

 

If every Bangkokian would hang a fan on his balcony aimed at the sea the smog would be gone in an hour....

[Justgrazing]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

The analysis warned that unless authorities come up with mitigation measures to relieve the air pollution problem soon, a large number of tourists may cancel their trips to Thailand, inflicting losses to the tourism industry estimated at up to Bt3.5 billion, or 4.5 per cent of overall tourism revenue in Bangkok, during this time of the year.

The authorities need to get real to this pronto .. The number of YouTube vid's out there , the coverage by overseas News channels , media outlets and warnings by the WHO of serious risk to health is going to increase the number of people diverting to alternative destinations .. So the only real God they have here .. Money .. is going to start to diminish on an incalculable scale .. They have been told .. 

[SuperTed]

It does not require a wise man such as myself to explain that
slow moving vehicles in huge congested areas will eventually 
pollute a city such as Bangkok. lol  Seriously the congestion is out of control.
Maybe create another major IT city away from the sinking city of Bangkok.
Maybe the former capital where they do have water control.

Building up a well planned city like Ayutthaya, and connecting the major cities with a well implemented high speed rail, will relieve traffic congestion and make roomful further economic growth. Taiwan is a great example of how this can work.

The main culprit for traffic source air pollution are the dirty older vehicles. There are laws on the books (or should be) the laws are just not enforced, as if you take away that old truck, you are taking someone's livelihood. The government has to get involved in REPLACING the black smoke belchers and eliminating diesel.

[SuperTed]

So happy to see this going on,
 more please sir ,

This looks good, but is nonsense. The cop just takes a pay-off for the non-compliance. What's needed are smog certifications in order to receive vehicle registrations. Again, because poor working class people are affected by taking dirty vehicles off the road, the government needs to get involved in replacing those vehicles, or getting them up to standard.

[1duckyboy]

TOT can now ballyhoo the incredibly colorful sunrises and sunsets Bangkok now has. 

[shackleton]

I remember in the early 80s  the traffic in Athens Greece was horrendous 

they eventually introduced alternate days for using cars ect in the city

I think it was based on your number  plate registration 

the system worked  cutting back the number clogging up the roads and pollution 

[Enoon]

2 hours ago, SuperTed said:

This looks good, but is nonsense. The cop just takes a pay-off for the non-compliance. What's needed are smog certifications in order to receive vehicle registrations. Again, because poor working class people are affected by taking dirty vehicles off the road, the government needs to get involved in replacing those vehicles, or getting them up to standard.

 

"What's needed are smog certifications in order to receive vehicle registrations."

 

Corruption is a top to bottom business.

 

Instead of paying a cop to look the other way, one pays off a bureaucrat further up the scale to issue a certificate for a non-compliant vehicle?

 

You would just be taking the money away from the lower earners and funneling it towards the upper echelons.

 

It's OK to do that to the general public, not a good idea to do it to ones "foot soldiers".

 

Thai Socio-economics 1.1.

 

 

[bushwacker]

Well I have cancelled my 3 month holiday to Bkk.  But I had not planned on spending millions ... ????

[lipflipper]

Lets be quite clear about this, It Isn't Going To Improve. There are simply too many cars in Bangkok and try telling a Thai not to buy a car or drive a car if they have one already. Bangkok will go the way of Beijing and be forever covered with life threatening smog. As it gets worse the economic results will be catastrophic for Thailand. Tourism will be the first to be severely impacted and the trickle down outcome from that will effect all aspects. The Thai economy for 2019 is going to see no growth and I predict that by the end of 2019 Thailand will be in a recession. Since T.I.T the Government will try the old band aid solution and hope that one of them sticks and solves this mounting crisis. Sadly the reality is simply that Bangkok is already doomed.

Sent from my CMR-AL19 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[dcnx]

5 hours ago, RotMahKid said:

Dirty seawater, dirty beaches and now also dirty air, what's next oh and I forgot the dirty politicians, police and other bureaucrats.

Sounds like a great place to get married, breed, and retire. 

[dcnx]

5 hours ago, bdenner said:

Aircraft flying around burning up a 1000 litres of fuel to spray a 1000 litres of water???

I guess by Thai logic that'll work!

If they fly fast enough, the wind they create can blow the smog away. 

 

????

[fruitman]

1 hour ago, bushwacker said:

Well I have cancelled my 3 month holiday to Bkk.  But I had not planned on spending millions ... ????

The issue is that this ruins the perfect good reputation of BKK and Thailand ????...and that will last for years...

[natway09]

Get the old diesel trucks, buses & cars seen to first if they are serious. 

[ravip]

6 hours ago, RotMahKid said:

Dirty seawater, dirty beaches and now also dirty air, what's next oh and I forgot the dirty politicians, police and other bureaucrats.

Any more reasons to stay 'put' here?

Please mention them...

[jackdd]

One change which would be quite easy to implement: Make people use more motorbikes.

They use way less fuel than a car, which means less emissions, and just by causing less congestion they also cause less emissions.

 

The first thing they should do is to allow motorbikes (without sidecar) on all overpasses, underpasses, bridges and get rid of any "have to drive left" rule for them.

There are many people who have to cross one of the bridges which don't allow motorbikes when going to work, so they take a car.

 

Another easy option would be to allow motorbikes 300cc up on highways.

 

These two changes could be implemented within a few days.

[NCC1701A]

and the first thing the Chinese say upon arrival is "look how clean the air is!"

[DM07]

"“The best solution to mitigate air pollution is to cut down pollution emission at its source,” Manoj said."

 

Why does this man not have a Nobel Prize?!

Such profound wisdom!