Thailand's government on January 24 deployed small aircrafts to spray white mist over the dense smog blanketing Bangkok in an effort to alleviate the city’s stifling air pollution.
Air pollution in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo: nationthailand.com)
Hanoi (VNA) – Flying through Bangkok's cloudless blue skies, a small aircraft sprays a white mist over a thi💜ck haz🥃e of pea soup smog below.
Thailand's government on January 24 deployed small aircrafts to spray white mist over the dense smog blanketing Bangkok in an effort to alleviate the city’s stifling air pollution, which reached eight times the World Health Organisation's recommended daily maximum average.
The scourge has made more than one million people ill since late 2023 and cost Thailand more than 88 million USD in medical expenses, the Ministry of Public Health said earlier this month.
According to Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, the main culprits are vehicle emissions, crop burning in the wider region and closed weather conditions, a warm atmospheric lid covering the dust, preventing it from dispersing.
Twice a day, the Royal Rainmaking Department sends aircraft up to spray cold water or dry ice into the layer of warm air to cool it down.
The new technique was first used last year and is still in its testing stages. The dry ice (solidified carbon dioxide) is provided by Thailand's oil and gas giant PTT and other energy companies.
Another fossil fuel company, Bangkok Industrial Gas, also donated dry ice to the programme this month, with managing director Piyabut Charuphen saying in a statement the gift was part of their commitment to creating a sustainable future.
Carbon dioxide is itself a greenhouse gas and the environmental and health effects of spraying dry ice in the atmosphere are not fully understood.
One flight can cost up to 1,500 USD, and with aircraft taking off from three bases around the country, it can reach 9,000 USD per day./.
Over 100 schools in Thailand's Bangkok city have suspended in-person classes and shifted to online learning due to severe air pollution affecting the capital and over 60 provinces nationwide.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to tackle soil degradation in Thailand was signed recently as 33% of the country’s soil has been degraded, The Nation reported on January 22.
The Earthquake Observation Division of the Thai Meteorological Department said 15 quakes Wiang Nuea tambon, Pai district in Thailand's northern province of Mae Hong Son from 9.56pm on January 19 to 3.46pm on January 20.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
Connectivity is expected to improve further with the completion of the fifth Laos–Thailand Friendship Bridge by the end of 2025, facilitating logistics and agricultural exports to Vietnam, Thailand, and China.
Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
Organised by the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Thai Silk & Culture Promotions, the event honors Her Majesty the Queen on her 47th birthday anniversary and promotes Thai craftsmanship on an international stage.
Prensa Latina's recent article on Vietnam’s assurance of smooth and effective transition to a leaner structure highlighted Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s latest directions on implementing 28 resolutions regarding the decentralisation and delegation of authority.
The lab focuses on four key thematic areas: energy transition and green innovation, sustainable agriculture, circular economy and sustainable cities, and nature-based solutions and biodiversity.
The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Efforts to empower women must transcend dialogue and translate into concrete commitments, including corporate pledges and government partnerships, according to the spouse of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
The forum featured two in-depth discussion sessions, engaging representatives from governments, think tanks, and businesses from both ASEAN and China, on how to forge closer ties for a common future.
The new FIFA Hub in Jakarta will not only support football development in Indonesia but also serve as a coordination centre for 21 football associations across Southeast and East Asia.
Minister Counselor Nguyen Hoang Nguyen reaffirmed Vietnam’s principled and consistent stance on the Palestine issue, calling for an immediate and lasting ceasefire across the entire Gaza Strip.
PM Anwar Ibrahim affirmed the determination of Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair for 2025, to utilise all viable regional mechanisms of the bloc and work with partners to de-escalate violence and restore a peace process led by Myanmar.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Vietnam’s Revolutionary Press Day (June 21, 1925–2025), Nikulina, who is also a veteran journalist of Russia’s Sputnik News, emphasised the vital role of mainstream journalism in defending the truth and maintaining public trust.
The Ministry of Commerce reported that imports also rose 18% to 29.9 billion USD during the same period, resulting in a trade surplus of 1.1 billion USD. In May alone, Thailand posted a 4.6 billion USD trade surplus with the US and a 4.1 billion USD trade deficit with China.
