Government expenses on environmental protection Thailand 2012-2022

In 2022, government expenditure on environmental protection in Thailand amounted to approximately ten billion Thai baht. This was a decrease in expenditure compared to the previous year which amounted to approximately 14.7 billion Thai baht. In that year, the highest amount of the national budget allocated for environmental management in the country went to wastewater and water quality.

State of environmental pollution in BMR

Bangkok Metropolitan Region (BMR) is one of the most polluted cities in Southeast Asia due to the low volume of waste treatment facilities, heavy traffic, and industrial activities. In 2023, Bangkok ranked twelfth in the pollution index score for the Asia Pacific Region. Air pollution is one of the main environmental issues for Bangkok. The average level of particulate matters (PM 2.5) in Bangkok was 52 mg/m3 in 2020. This was mainly caused by congested traffic and industrial sectors. Fine particles of PM 2.5 are damaging to human health such as negatively affecting lungs and causing asthma.

Thai citizens’ perspectives on environmental pollution

Since 2016, the number of complaints regarding environmental pollution in Thailand had been constantly increasing, with more than 20 thousand cases filed in 2021. This implied that pollution in the country has not improved over the years. In addition, air pollution was the biggest pollution issue for Thai citizens in that year, followed by solid and hazardous waste issues.