Mr. Pinsak Suraswadi, Director General of Pollution Control Department (PCD), revealed that the problem of PM2.5 accumulated in Bangkok and its vicinity and main cities during December to April, vehicles are main point source of PM2.5, particularly diesel cars. According to the ad hoc plan to solve the pollution problem of Particulate Matter in 2023, it is focusing on controlling and reducing pollution from vehicles. Public and private sectors have coordinated to set up the projects and measures to prevent and reduce PM2.5 from vehicles such as the “Car Clinic to Reduce PM2.5 project”. This project supports discounts on maintenance costs and lubricants changes to reduce black smoke. In addition, there are measures to monitor black smoke cars, increase checkpoints, increase strictness of inspections and banned of black smoke cars until improvement is made to prevent the black smoke cars from entering to the city area, etc.
Mr. Pinsak said that inspected measures of black smoke cars from October 2022 to 28 February 2023, PCD together with Department of Land Transport, Traffic Police Division and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration had inspected, detected and banned of black smoke cars in Bangkok area and other provinces. It was found that 109,696 cars in Bangkok were inspected and 23,707 cars were black smoke exceed the standard and 1,503 were banned; and 55,635 cars in other province were also inspected and 1,367 cars were black smoke exceed the standards and 1,367 were banded. From the statistic of inspection, approximately 15% of black smoke cars were exceeded the standard.
Government will pay more strictly attention in black smoke detection “detect, penalty fine – ban black smoke cars” to enforce the highest penalties in Bangkok and its vicinity. The checkpoint to inspect and detect all types of black smoke cars, covering main and secondary roads both inbound and outbound will be set up. People can bring their cars to check at the ” Car Clinic to Reduce PM2.5 project”. This project is cooperated by 9 entrepreneurs consisting of TOYOTA, ISUZU, MITSUBISHI, NISSAN, MAZDA, FORD, HONDA, SUZUKI and HINO which has 1,774 service centers and can support 426,000 cars including supporting discounts for maintenance and oil lubricants to reduce black smoke Mr. Pinsak said.
