Will new air-quality laws cure Thailand’s smog-driven health crisis?

The ongoing push in Parliament to improve Thailand’s appalling record of air pollution offers hope that the decades-long threat to public health posed by PM2.5 smog could soon be curbed.

The severity of the threat is so grave that the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly for seven “clean air” laws on January 17. The seven bills, proposed by different parties, sailed through their first reading with 443 votes in support, none against, and one abstention.

The legislation is expected to become law in the next few months, said Dr Buntoon Srethasirote, who chairs the working group tasked with drafting the clean-air bill for the government’s Strategic Transformation Office (STO).

“I expect the new law to take effect in April and contribute to our successful control of PM2.5,” he said.

PM 2.5 threat in Thailand

PM2.5 denotes the finest grade of dust particles – 2.5…