Footage shows toxic smog shrouding homes and buildings in the developmentally challenged Bangkok, Thailand, on October 25.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration warned of a dip in air quality across the city, which started on Thursday, October 24, and is expected to continue in the coming month.

Despite soaring numbers of deaths and respiratory illnesses each year, officials in the politically fragile country have ignored the issue - leading to chronic air pollution choking the country each year when agricultural land is burned,

Thailand's capital Bangkok is a rapidly growing metropolis, though it still faces developmental challenges such as outdated infrastructure, chronic flooding, traffic congestion, and air pollution.

Corruption is also a difficult issue for the city, with a recent score in 2023 of just 35 out of 100, according to Transparency International. Researchers from the organisation also found that 88 per cent of residents believe government corruption is a big problem in the country.

Dangerous levels of deadly PM 2.5 particles - which cause cancer and other debilitating illnesses - are recorded every year in Thailand, usually between December and April when farmers across Southeast Asia burn waste crops to clear their land.

The rudimentary method, known as 'slash and burn', is quicker and cheaper than modern machinery, leaving relatively poor landowners unwilling to heed environmental and health concerns over economic necessity.

Despite paying lip service for several years, politicians have failed to stop individuals from burning their land due to it being cheaper and easier than modern farming methods.

In March 2023, the Public Health Ministry of Thailand reported that around 1.3 million people in the country had been unwell due to the rising levels of air pollution. Officials said 200,000 residents were hospitalised in a single week.

Researchers from Peking University in Beijing, China, found that exposure to PM 2.5 air pollution is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.

In December, Dr Krittai Thanasombatkul from Chiang Mai - one of the world's worst cities for air pollution - died of lung cancer. He had previously blamed PM 2.5 microdust particles for his condition.

The New York State Department of Health says PM 2.5 also increases the risk of heart disease, asthma, and low birth weight.

Medics from South Korea published research in the National Institute of Health in the United States that said the pollutant increases the risk of stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and other illnesses such as immune deficiency and even obesity.