Bangkok Air Pollution and COVID-19

In Bangkok, there are so many cars on the streets. So the pollution (PM2.5) is very high in Bangkok. There are only a few cars on the road during the quarantine of COVID-19 (coronavirus). So I searched the PM2.5 level during the quarantine days from March 25th to April 9th. Before quarantines came into effect, the PM2.5 level in Bangkok was very high (often 150-200). One of the reasons is the use of cars. The car adds lots of PM2.5 to the air. In Bangkok, there are so many cars on the road normally. So I compared the number of PM2.5 to pre, and post, quarantine.

This is the data from AQI. This data is only in Bangkok. Now, the PM2.5 number is lower than before. Before the covid-19 induced quarantines, the PM2.5’s average level is near 100. However, the PM2.5 average level from March to April is 60. So the number is decreasing. It is highly likely that the lower AQI levels are connected to the quarantine and covid 19. There are no traffic jams in Bangkok now.  There is normally a lot of cars on the road in the evening on some of the roads in Bangkok. However, now there are only a few cars and taxis. The reason why don’t a lot of cars on the road is about the covid 19, which has meant many companies and schools have closed. This results in less traffic.  

On the other hand, the number of PM2.5 in some areas in Thailand is not decreasing. The number in places like Chiang Mai is the same as before. So covid-19 has not affected AQI in all areas of Thailand. 

In conclusion, the levels of PM2.5 are affected by how much traffic there is on the roads in Bangkok. When there is more traffic, the PM2.5 levels are high. However, when there is less traffic, such as during the quarantine period, the levels are lower. 

Source: https://aqicn.org/city/bangkok/