The Ministry of Education will deliver the first batch of air purifiers to 37 state schools in Bangkok within the next two weeks to combat the rising levels of PM2.5.
The ministry has ordered the Office of the Vocational Education Commission (Ovec) to produce 10,000 low-cost air purifiers and distribute them to schools in dust-vulnerable areas.
The air purifiers cost up to 2,000 baht per unit.
In a related development, The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) has announced plans to install an air purification tower in central Bangkok.
Chatree Watanakhajorn, director of the BMA's Environment Department, said on Tuesday the first tower will be placed near the Siam BTS station sometime this month.
If the giant air purifier proves effective, more will be installed across Bangkok, he said.
A private firm and Kasetsart University jointly proposed the tower, priced at 5.3 million baht.
If the tower, which is about four metres high and 1.5 metres wide and weighs about 200 kilogrammes, proves capable of reducing the haze pollution, the BMA will ask companies, department stores and organisers of large gatherings to also place towers on their premises.
At 8am on Tuesday, Bang Phlat district recorded the highest PM2.5 level in the city at 81 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³), well above the 50 µg/m³ maximum safe level.
