That grey or yellow pall in the sky isn’t winter fog coming to make merry, but instead an omen of Bangkok’s peak smog season, and the usual year-end choke could be worsened by the city’s rush back to normal.
The usual pollution that dips mid-year only to peak November to April is ticking back up, and the year overall has been smoggier than 2020, so far, according to pollution data we record daily.
During the first lockdown last year, activity slowed considerably, and air pollution fell. But it returned with a vengeance this year, with May double what it was the year prior, on average.
Meanwhile, the misery is returning to Bangkok’s infamous road traffic, which had been negligible for the better part of two years; tourists are flying in once again and Thailand swings toward normal despite an ongoing pandemic that has killed 20,000 people.
Seasonal air…
