How’s the PM2.5 situation? Let's check...
Created By RISC | 3 years ago
Last modified date : 2 years ago
Do you know how many days each year we breathe good air?
During the past 5 years, PM2.5 dust in Thailand has been high, especially in winter. The many causes include dust from neighboring countries as well as our own activities.
But during the last 2 years (2020-21), dust has dissipated faster. The COVID-19 outbreak may have reduced traffic and construction. Measures to prevent or control agricultural burning might have also helped.
But there was still dust.
Data from the World Air Quality Index (WAQI) shows how many days each year Bangkok’s PM2.5 level was below 50 micrograms/cubic meter (according to the Pollution Control Department)...
- 2021: 84 days.
- 2020: 62 days.
- 2019: 29 days.
- 2018: 17 days.
- 2017: 6 days.
We breathe good only 2-8% of the year. Working at home improved that figure to 23% of the year. But air pollution persists and will come back harder when the country reopens. The data also shows that we get good air during the rainy season, when high humidity and rainwater wash dust away.
Fahsai is an air-purifying tower developed by RISC to alleviate air pollution, using water to remove dust. It cannot reduce pollution in all areas but it can create a safe zone. In the future, RISC aims to create other innovations for air treatment, helping protect the world and all life.
You can find national and globe air quality statistics at https://aqicn.org/data-platform/register/
1. Click the link to go to the web page.
2. Enter the name of a station and type the city you want to check (such as Bangkok or Chiang Mai).
3. Wait a few minutes for the air quality table to appear.
Story by Napol Kieatkongmanee, Senior Sustainable Designer and TREES-A Specialist, RISC