Vehicle headlights illuminate particles in the air in Phnom Penh on March 25. The environment ministry announced that the Kingdom was experiencing ‘mild’ air pollution. Sous Yamy
The Ministry of Environment has noted that Cambodia experienced a large number of wildfires in the past week, from March 18 to 24, and acknowledged that Phnom Penh and six provinces had experienced “yellow” coded air quality levels, defined by the ministry as “mild pollution”.
On March 26, the ministry urged the public and all authorities to adhere to the government’s Directive No. 01 on air pollution prevention and reduction. The ministry emphasised the importance of halting the burning of agricultural waste, forest clearing, and the incineration of solid waste and plastics, which contribute to declining air quality.
From 7am on March 25 to 7am on March 26, the ministry recorded an average fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentration of 47.23µg/m³ — slightly below the national standard of 50µg/m³. Despite this, the ministry maintained that the Air Quality Index (AQI) remained within the “Good” category.
Ministry spokesperson Khvay Atitya acknowledged that Cambodia’s air quality fluctuated within that 24-hour period.
Ministry data from March 26 indicated that PM2.5 levels in Phnom Penh exceeded the national standard of 50µg/m³, placing the city in the yellow, or “Moderate” category. However, officials insisted that this level of air pollution did not pose significant health risks for the general public.
IQAir, an independent global air quality monitoring service, rated Phnom as the 15th most polluted city in the world on the night of March 25, with PM 2.5 levels reported at 291µg/m³ at 6pm, which it classed as “very unhealthy”.
Despite this, Atitya reassured the public that Cambodia’s air quality has not reached emergency levels that would require “red-level” protective measures. He said the Kingdom has 59 air quality monitoring stations nationwide and one satellite-based monitoring system, with overall air quality remaining within acceptable standards over the past week.
A total of 689 wildfire incidents were recorded across Cambodia in the week from March 18 to March 24.
According to the ministry, Mondulkiri had the highest number of wildfires, with 98, followed by Stung Treng with 92 and Ratanakkiri with 86. Phnom Penh, as well as the provinces of Kep and Pailin, reported no wildfires.
The ministry’s latest assessment said none of the Kingdom’s regions fell into the Orange (Moderate Pollution), Red (High Pollution) or Purple (Severe Pollution) categories.
It noted that mild, “yellow” pollution levels were being experienced in Banteay Meanchey, Kandal, Koh Kong, Preah Vihear, Ratanakkiri and Siem Reap, as well as the capital.
As of 1pm on March 26, IQAir reported Phnom Penh’s AQI as being 117, or unhealthy for sensitive groups.
The ministry claimed that Kampong Cham, Kampong Thom, Battambang, Kampong Speu, Mondulkiri, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng, Preah Sihanouk, Oddar Meanchey, Pursat, Stung Treng, Pailin and Takeo were good, or “green”, while it deemed the air quality in Kampong Chhnang, Kampot, Kratie, Kep and Tbong Khmum as excellent, or “blue”.
The ministry assured the public that it will continue to monitor air quality and provide updates to ensure public health protection when necessary.
