Seasonal haze prompts fresh round of curbs

As the annual blanket of haze returned to smother our cities this month, prompting a renewed bout of head-scratching about how to combat the problem, people have begun to wonder whether the nationwide proliferation of hazardous PM2.5 can ever be brought under control.

One such measure was the Centre for Air Pollution Mitigation’s request for all state officials in Bangkok to work remotely from last Thursday until tomorrow as part of its seasonal slew of measures ostensibly targeted at reducing vehicle emissions in the city.

Emissions are one of the chief causes of the problem, particularly when coupled with the annual reduction in atmospheric air circulation at this time of year.

It is the latest initiative in…