Thailand's capital launches “Work From Home” plan to fight air pollution
Bangkok has introduced a "Work From Home" (WFH) plan to tackle the rising levels of dust in the city.
The announcement was made by Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, on January 14, 2025, at Bangkok City Hall.
The city has been struggling with poor air quality caused largely by vehicle emissions and a 20% increase in biomass burning compared to last year.
As part of ongoing efforts to reduce pollution, Bangkok has revised its Work From Home policy to allow quicker action when air quality worsens. Unlike before, when WFH was announced only when PM2.5 dust levels reached the red level (above 75.1 µg/m³) in five districts. Under the new criteria, WFH will be implemented if PM2.5 levels reach the orange level (37.6–75.0 µg/m³) across at least 35 districts, ventilation drops below a specific threshold, and there are over 80 burning hotspots for three consecutive days.
The last WFH implementation in February 2024 saw over 60,000 people from public and private organisations participating.
This reduced road traffic by nearly 10%, easing congestion and lowering dust levels.
Bangkok aims to expand the program, targeting 200,000 participants from the current 100,000 registered organisations.
The Low Emission Zone project has also been expanded. Trucks with six or more wheels are banned from entering the Ratchadaphisek Ring Road area unless they meet strict environmental standards, such as being electric vehicles or compliant with Euro 5-6 emission rules. Currently, around 12,000 registered trucks meet these criteria.
While current harmful PM2.5 dust levels remain high, ventilation is expected to improve in the next few days.
