Environment and natural resources
Smog again covers Bangkok
Unhealthy smog blanketed most of greater Bangkok on Thursday morning, blamed on traffic congestion and stagnant air, the Pollution Control Department reported.Of the 58 air quality stations, 50 reported unsafe levels of particulate matter 2.5 micrometres and less in diameter (PM2.5) in Bangkok and adjacent ...
Apinya Wipatayotin
Thais Living Along Mekong Struggle from Drought, Effects of Dams
Dam operations upstream combined with a drought have caused a severe drop in water levels along the Mekong River, on which tens of millions of people rely for their livelihoods through fishing or farming, say Thais who live by the banks of the great waterway.BenarNews ...
Nontarat Phaicharoen
Thai Academics Hold Forum to Discuss Solutions to Toxic PM2.5 Dust
Academics in Thailand have held a forum to share their ideas and knowledge on ways to address the toxic dust problem in Thailand. The outcomes from the discussions will be presented to the government to aid in policy development.The President of the Council of Engineering, ...
Southeast Asia’s dugongs may disappear soon
In 2019, two baby dugongs were found alive after they washed ashore in Krabi and Trang provinces, in Thailand, but sadly died not long after they were rescued. The event even caught the attention of Hollywood star, Leonardo DiCaprio who posted about it on social ...
Plastic still proliferates
Several retail chains have taken the initiative to cut down on plastic waste by not giving out plastic bags, and people find themselves carrying their own tote bags when they shop at malls and convenience stores.The adjustment seems to be going well. But while the ...
Melalin Mahavongtrakul
Mekong activists present case against Laos dam
Environmental activists have submitted more evidence to the Supreme Administrative Court that the Xayaburi dam is cutting Mekong River levels, threatening fish ecology and reducing catch sizes downstream in Thailand.“Today we can clearly see the impacts we’ve been worrying about,” said Ombun Thipsuna, a member ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
Cabinet gives nod to new anti-dust law
The cabinet has approved a draft ministerial law on construction as it steps up efforts to reduce harmful levels of ultra-fine particles of dust.The current law, enforced since 1983, is too old to be applied to modern building methods in line with safety and environmental ...
Bangkok Post Reporter
Thailand Touted for Rare Move to Drop Chinese Plan for Mekong River
Rights groups and researchers have welcomed Thailand’s decision to cancel a Beijing-backed project to dredge and blow open a shallow and rocky stretch of the Mekong River along the Thai-Lao border.The move is a rare victory for groups and communities fighting to save Southeast Asia’s ...
Zsombor Peter
Pollution taints seaside community's prosperity
Bangkok’s seaside neighbour Samut Sakhon is known for many things — as a fishing hub, a thriving seafood market, and also as the largest location of Myanmar’s migrant community in Thailand.The province has boasted a port for at least two centuries which allowed it to ...
Anchalee Kongrut
Victory on the Upper Mekong: Thai Cabinet Terminates Rapids Blasting Project
In a momentous win for the Mekong River, this week the Thai Cabinet formally called for cancellation of the Lancang-Mekong Navigation Channel Improvement Project, popularly known as the Mekong “rapids-blasting” project. The cabinet decision is the culmination of decades of campaigning by Thai Mekong communities ...