The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) plans to invest 30 million baht (about 835,000 euros) to plant 100,000 trees this year in an effort to develop green spaces throughoutthe city.
Wiparat Chaiyanukij, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the BMA, explained that this project, currently submitted to the Governor for approval of the required budget, will be divided into two batches.
The first batch consists of 50,000 trees for public parks and administrations. It requires an investment of 5 million baht (about 140,000 euros).
The second batch of 50,000 trees will be distributed by the district offices to private plots, temples, schools and along the Bang Khun Thian coast. Its budget is estimated at 25 million baht (about 695,000 euros).
Currently, Thailand’s capital has 3,200 hectares of green space in the form of public parks and gardens, representing a ratio of 6.2 square metres per capita. This is less than the 9 square metres recommended by the World Health Organization.
The BMA has implemented three measures to try to develop green spaces: finding vacant lands to develop them into public gardens, increasing the number of parks beyond the current 35 and supporting the private sector in the development of green spaces, reports TNews.