Bangkok's Heat Management Measures for 2025: Protecting Public Health
Bangkok's city government has launched a comprehensive heat management plan for 2025 with early warning systems and over 2,800 cooling stations across the city to protect residents from rising temperatures and heat-related illness.
Climate change is subjecting Bangkok residents to increasingly high temperatures and heat index levels, especially during the hot season, disrupting daily life. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration has implemented a systematic heat management approach to address the 2025 hot season, establishing a heat management committee to set policies, oversee operations, and coordinate surveillance, early warning systems, and urban heat mitigation efforts.
The BMA's 2025 Heat Management Plan for Bangkok focuses on protecting public health, reducing heat-related illnesses, and building long-term urban resilience. A key initiative is an early warning system where Bangkok's Air Quality Data Center monitors daily heat index values and coordinates with the Thai Meteorological Department to track weather forecasts and heat wave trends. Public alerts with health recommendations are distributed through all BMA communication channels, including the AirBKK website and app, the Bangkok Environment Office Facebook page, and community networks for real-time updates.
Bangkok residents can escape the heat at 'cooling spots' and 'cooling centers' throughout the city, operating from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM (hours vary by location) during peak heat and UV intensity periods. The BMA operates cooling services across all districts with 2,806 water stations, including 110 cooling spots in 48 public parks, 242 cooling spots in 15-minute parks, 255 cooling centers in schools (51 schools and 10 vocational schools), 68 health service centers, 76 cultural, sports, and tourism facilities, recreational centers, 50 district offices, and 24-hour rest centers in BMA hospitals.
These cooling spaces serve vulnerable populations including the elderly, children, those with chronic illnesses, and outdoor workers, allowing them to rest, hydrate, and escape extreme heat. Residents can locate nearby cooling facilities through the greener.bangkok.go.th website.
Since heat index concerns no longer affect only the summer season but threaten public health year-round, the BMA is implementing both short-term and long-term strategies under its heat management committee to protect residents' quality of life. Short-term measures include close monitoring and early warnings using heat index data with four alert thresholds.
