The Greener Bangkok: What the BMA Is Doing And What We Must Do

By Ranveer Daga
Student Contributor, International School Bangkok

The air was thick with aromas from a nearby food stall, tinged with the earthy tang of river water. As I strolled along the sidewalk, long-tail boats and party boats cruised by while patches of small gardens and trees pressed against the pavement. Hundreds of motorbikes and cars zoomed past. Watching the water flow, boats gliding by, cars dashing ahead, and people with plastic bags of food in one hand and drinks in the other walking in all directions, I felt that Bangkok itself was alive—a city in constant motion, always busy and bustling.

With over 35 million tourists passing through the city each year, Bangkok sits at the crossroads of culture, commerce, and climate. As an expat student born and raised in this vibrant city, I’ve witnessed firsthand how Bangkok’s dynamic growth is matched by inspiring efforts to meet its environmental challenges head-on.

From worsening air pollution to plastic-choked canals and scorching urban heat, it’s clear that Bangkok’s future depends on what we choose to do now. Over the past year, I’ve had the rare opportunity to work closely with Mr. Pornphrom Vikitsreth, Chief Sustainability Officer of Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and advisor to Mr. Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok. I shadowed Mr. Pornphrom for over 150 hours, gaining firsthand insight into how the BMA addresses Bangkok’s sustainability challenges.

One moment that stood out for me was a visit to a canal near the Chao Phraya River. I saw up close how the city was innovating its waterway cleanup efforts with new floating machines and localized filtration systems. That day gave me a visceral understanding of what it takes to maintain Bangkok’s vital water arteries and how small interventions can ripple into systemic change.

Another impactful policy the BMA is planning to launch is a waste-collection fee structure tied to household behavior. Under this program, waste fees have increased from 20 to 60 baht per month. However, households that sort their waste and register through the BMA system can have their fee reduced to 20 baht. This simple but smart economic incentive encourages environmentally responsible habits and helps reduce landfill pressure.

During one of our site visits, I saw how some communities have already embraced the program by placing clearly-tagged bins in front of their homes, even labeling waste types in both Thai and English. These small changes are helping drive a cultural shift toward daily sustainability. I personally had the chance to introduce this system to my condo’s admin team.

A city as vast as Bangkok must think vertically and laterally. The BMA is pursuing the creation of urban community spaces beneath elevated expressways and unused infrastructure. These areas, once neglected and polluted, are being reimagined as places for exercise, gatherings, and even small-scale urban farming.

This idea of “double-use” land stuck with me when we walked under a section of the expressway near Din Daeng. Where there had once been nothing but concrete and runoff, I now see people playing futsal and exercising. These aren’t just upgrades; they are signs of a city learning to live within its limits while its people adapt to healthier lifestyles and spend more time outdoors.

To address Bangkok’s massive air pollution problem, the BMA has implemented Low-Emission Zones (LEZs), beginning with the inner ring of the city—an area Mr. Pornphrom calls the “egg yolk” of Bangkok. The vision is to develop a “green list” of compliant vehicles that meet environmental standards. In these LEZs, only compliant vehicles can enter and travel around, while high-emission trucks and vehicles will be prohibited from entering.

Meanwhile, the BMA also supports Royal Rainmaking programs during peak pollution seasons. These efforts aim to induce artificial rainfall to combat haze and particulate matter—a short-term fix for a long-term problem. I witnessed the coordination efforts from the command center, where meteorological data, pollution indexes, and flight paths are all synchronized in real time.

As someone who represents the city’s youth, I was especially drawn to the BMA’s holistic plan for young people. Their five-pronged framework, focused on community, facilities, mentors, opportunities, and capabilities, seeks to open alternative pathways for young people. This structure aims to nurture youth agency and give students like me meaningful avenues to participate. Mr. Pornphrom advocates for electives in public schools that include practical skills like climate literacy, along with other electives like public speaking and second languages. The message is clear: youth are not future stakeholders but present-day changemakers.

One of the most eye-opening aspects of my time with the BMA was learning how closely sustainability ties into public health. Despite Thailand’s large population, the country struggles with chronic illnesses, limited access to preventative care, and rising urban health risks. Mr. Pornphrom points to Japan as a model, where longevity is supported by city planning, early intervention, and communal health programs. He believes that Thailand needs a multi-dimensional health metric beyond just mortality rates—one that reflects how people actually live, move, and breathe in their cities.

To support this vision, the city should equip schools with proper safety gear through targeted funding and partnerships and develop youth-focused sustainability programs built on community interests and supportive infrastructure. The waste-collection incentive scheme must be widely publicized, refined, and expanded to ensure full household participation, while low-emission zones should be regularly assessed with potential for stricter enforcement and broader coverage. Together, these measures create a supportive ecosystem where young people can grow their skills, contribute to their communities, and champion long-term environmental change.

I started this journey hoping to understand how a city like Bangkok tackles the global climate crisis. What I learned is that real progress is made not just in government offices but also in schools, communities, and households.

We all have a role to play—whether it’s reducing and sorting our waste, using public transport or carpooling, volunteering our time to spread knowledge to the youth, or taking some other initiative. Sustainability starts with action. And for Bangkok, my home, my city, one of the most visited places on earth, there is still so much more we can do and so much we can still become. Together, we have the power to do more, to be more, and to lead by example on the world stage.

When I pass through the same sidewalk today, I notice the small signs of change: fewer plastic bags floating on the water, more flower gardens on the sidewalks, more electric cars on the streets, and people carrying their own metal water bottles. Our choices can carry Bangkok toward a more sustainable future. As Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” The future of our city and our planet depends on what we do today.

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