⛅ Good morning! The SEA Games 2025 are less than two weeks away; here’s the ticketing info. Ten Songkhla events were moved to Bangkok due to floods. For relief efforts, the city is accepting non-monetary donations at district offices and City Hall. Here’s also how to help affected communities.

That’s the year-on-year percentage drop in average PM 2.5 levels in Bangkok for the first three weeks of November, according to City Hall data.

Why it matters: November marked the start of haze season and the activation of the city’s “pollution-control zone” authority. While weather played a role, data suggests the crackdown on diesel exhaust is yielding early results.

Driving the news: Officials tightened the black smoke emission threshold from 30% to 20% and issued 3.6 times more suspension orders for polluting vehicles compared to the same period last year.

What’s next: The city is expanding its low-emission zone from the inner city to all 50 districts. When pollution hits crisis levels, heavy trucks that are not registered on the “Green List” will be banned from entry.

Bangkok residents with leaking septic tanks are over four times more likely to develop diarrheal infections, according to a new study from the Asian Institute of Technology.

Why it matters: The city collects only 13% of the fecal sludge citywide. The remaining 87% accumulates in households or leaks into the environment.

By the numbers: Surveying more than 500 households and 84 sanitation officials, researchers found families with leaking containment systems are 4.27 times more likely to get stomach infections compared to those without leaks.

Big picture: While sanitation is often viewed as a problem affecting lower-income communities, researchers found no significant effect on infection rates with differences in family income. Rather, the strongest demographic driver for sickness was area density.

State of play: The study blames uncollected waste on narrow sois blocking large vacuum trucks, long hauls to two treatment plants, staffing and traffic limits that cap districts at under four collection trips a day and the lack of rules requiring households to empty their tanks.

What’s next: To close the gap, researchers suggest using smaller vacuum trucks and moving from an on-demand emptying service to scheduled monitoring, where officials periodically check containment performance to catch leaks early.

What to do: If you need a service, contact your local district office. The city’s emptying service costs 250 baht per cubic meter. Experts recommend emptying your tank every 2-5 years. Currently, only 35% of households use official Bangkok trucks.

Floods in Hat Yai prompted a review of Bangkok’s disaster response, with Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt issuing six directives to strengthen the capital’s preparedness.

Why it matters: Hat Yai saw accumulating rainfall of about 600 millimeters in three days. Bangkok’s historical three-day maximum rainfall is only 300 millimeters, and Chadchart admitted current defenses might not withstand the volume seen in the south.

The governor’s six-point directive pivots from construction to modernization, updating flood models and alerts, auditing equipment, tightening the chain of command, reassessing drainage capacity and pushing coordination across agencies.

Reality check: Chadchart said mass evacuation in Bangkok is logistically “impossible” due to population density. The official strategy for high-rise condo residents is to shelter in place.

The city unveiled its first-ever standardized curriculum for its public preschools, aiming to narrow the development gap between children in public centers and those in private kindergartens.

Why it matters: Until now, the quality of education at Bangkok’s 259 centers — which serve more than 16,000 kids between 2-6 years old — has relied heavily on individual volunteer teachers without a unified standard.

Big picture: The curriculum is designed to be flexible enough for teachers to adapt to their specific neighborhoods, which usually have five distinct educational philosophies: Waldorf, HighScope, Montessori, Buddhist and Islamic guidelines.

The quote: “There’s a teaching plan at the center, but we developed it by ourselves,” said a Pasi Charoen volunteer teacher who’s been working for 20 years. “This leaves me unsure whether the plans align with the national early childhood standards.”

What’s next: The city will begin intensive training for all volunteer caregivers in December to implement the standard across all districts.

Revitalization efforts for Ong Ang and Bang Lamphu canals are nearing completion, with an app-based electric boat service, connected walkways and beautifications set to roll out next month.

Why it matters: Known for its award-winning street art and walking markets, the city is trying to push the area as a permanent tourist hub.

Driving the news: The electric water taxi service is expanding to eight boats with an on-demand application. The city is also removing high-voltage poles, cutting illegal wires and planting flowers along the canal banks.

What’s next: While the boats start soon, the infrastructure is playing catch-up. The city has passed a budget to build four permanent piers along the Bang Lamphu Canal at Chao Pho Nu Shrine, Wat Bowonniwet, Chaloem Wan Chat Bridge and the Queen’s Gallery. Contractors will be hired by January.

Picture Bangkok under a blanket of snow: Chinatown hushed, tuk-tuks dusted white, the city transformed. That’s the world inside “Little Lek’s Snow Day in Bangkok,” a 20-page children’s book that turns our tropical capital into a playful winter escape.

Follow Little Lek as she navigates a snowy Bangkok, discovering how the familiar becomes magical. It’s a fun, locally rooted keepsake that doubles as an educational spark for curious kids.

Author Tim Cornwall drew on memories of -15°C Canadian mornings and the unexpected joy of school being canceled: a simple “snow day” that became an adventure. His question still stands — what would you do if Bangkok woke up to snow? Start that conversation with your children today.

📚 Grab your copy for 450 baht.

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