Bangkok Governor Aswin Kwanmuang has been authorized to take necessary steps to suspend activities that are contributing to the worsening air pollution in Bangkok.

In the meantime, the Pollution Control Department predicted that a new round of cold front would envelope upper Thailand, including the central region, and this would cause the amount of PM2.5 particulate matter to rise due to the close weather and poor air circulation.

Natural resources and environment permanent secretary Vicharn Simachaya told the media after a meeting of the Pollution Control Committee on Thursday that the committee agreed to set new standards of PM2.5 dust particles in the air and the measures to be taken accordingly in each affected area.

If the amount of PM2.5 dust particles ranges from 50-75 microns in any district in Bangkok and its peripherals, the district chief officer is authorized to implement all necessary measures to cope with the situation, said Vicharn.

But if the amount of PM2.5 particulate matter exceeds 75 microns up to 100 microns, he said the committee agreed to allow the city governor to declare the affected areas as “disturbance control areas” and to take necessary actions to put an end to activities blamed for causing the pollution problem.

But if the dust particles surpass 100 microns, the Environment Committee will step in and to recommend the prime minister to take necessary steps to deal with the problem, said Vicharn.

The Pollution Control Department reported this morning (Friday) that 24 areas in and around Bangkok have excessive amount of PM2.5 dust particles beyond the 50-micron standard – an average of 7 microns increase compared to yesterday’s

Bangkok today ranks the world’s Number 9 worst-polluted city, according to the world’s air quality index for air quality and pollution city rankings.

The Number 1 worst-polluted city is Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia, followed by Hanoi in Vietnam, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Chengdu in China, Lahore in Pakistan, Hangzhou in China, Chongqing in China, Karachi in Pakistan and Bangkok.