Bangkok fails international air tests

Bangkok fails international air tests

BANGKOK (AFP): The smoggy Thai capital of Bangkok has been branded "unhealthy" after failing to pass key international- standard tests of its air and water quality and its waste disposal system, a report said.

The sprawling city of 10 million people failed to pass muster in seven of 23 areas tested under the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria to establish whether the metropolis qualified as a "healthy city," the Bangkok Post said.

"Environmental quality and management in Bangkok has been branded unhealthy," the leading daily said. "The indicators include air and water quality, waste disposal and open space."

Other "unhealthy" factors taken into account by the survey of Bangkok carried out by a special committee, were "public participation, transportation and income distribution."

The news, which will come as little surprise to residents of the city famed for its traffic-clogged streets and myriad building sites, was revealed by the capital's deputy governor, Kachit Choopanya, at a seminar called "Bangkok, Healthy City in the Year 2000."

"According to the WHO there are 23 indicators and seven among these were graded unhealthy," he reportedly said. "Four of the seven are concerned with the environment."

The study showed that economic and infrastructure development in Bangkok over the past two years had been "good," while development in the quality of life, "especially environmental factors, was reaching crisis point."

Bangkok Governor Bichit Rattakul responded to the report by saying the city administration had been battling to control the city's building-site dust levels, but conceded that air and noise pollution remained problems.

However, he said the number of green areas and open spaces in the very concrete city had in fact been growing, the Bangkok Post said.

Officials said residents had only 0.59 square meters of park space per person compared with the WHO standard of four square meters.

The city fathers will hire academics to follow up on the report and conduct research into the negative indicators, the paper added.