Dramatic footage shows the deadly air pollution from crop burning engulfing Bangkok airport, severely reducing visibility on the runway.

The Don Mueang International Airport in Thailand's capital was covered in the toxic cancer-causing haze on the morning of February 2 at 6 am just before sunrise.

With visibility reduced to just 492ft (150 metres), several flights were reportedly diverted to the nearby Suvarnabhumi International Airport until conditions improved after 7:30 am.

Air quality monitors found that PM2.5 levels in several areas of the city reached deadly concentrations of up to 100 microgrammes of PM 2.5 particles per cubic metre of air. The safe level is just five, according to the World Health Organisation.

Bungling political leaders - including convicted swindler and ex-Man City owner Thaksin Shinawatra - who are preoccupied with tourism initiatives such as opening lucrative casinos have failed to tackle the problem.

Unelected Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra even posted indulgent pictures of herself enjoying the glacial sceneryof of Switzerland, where air quality is widely regarded as being the best in the world.

However, small and large-scale landowners around the country, as well as neighbouring Cambodia and Vietnam, continue to burn waste crops to meet the demand of the lucrative food industry.

Provincial officials have advised residents to work from home due to the increased levels of air pollution in recent weeks. Schools have also been closed.

The Geo-Informatics Space Technology and Development Agency (GISTDA)'s has consistently reported that the level of PM2.5 dust exceeded 100 microgrammes per cubic metre across Bangkok. The WHO puts the safe level at five.

Dangerous levels of deadly PM 2.5 particles - which cause cancer and other debilitating illnesses - are recorded every year in Thailand 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 because it is cheaper and easier than modern farming methods.

Sugarcane husks are the biggest source of burning and Thailand was the world's second-largest exporter of sugar in 2024, generating around five billion USD for the economy. Critics say politicians are unwilling to destabilise the industry by tackling illegal burning.

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.