Bangkok joined hands with Siam Cement Group (SCG) to plant 100 Thong Urai (Yellow Elder) trees along the Prem Prachakon Canal in Chatuchak district on Sunday.

The event was presided over by Bangkok permanent-secretary Khajit Chatchavanich while the 100 trees were supplied by SCG.

The activity was part of Governor Chadchart Sittipunt’s project to plant 1 million trees in the city in a bid to increase green spaces for Bangkokians.

Green spaces not only serve as recreational areas for city people, they also help absorb air pollution, especially PM2.5 fine dust, said Khajit.

The project also complements Chadchart’s “Bangkok 15 minutes” policy to create small public parks so that all Bangkokians are within a 15-minute walk (800 metres) of a green space.

“So far 2,055 trees have been planted under this project,” said Khajit. “We expect to reach the 1-million target in the next four years, when the city will also have several new public parks and recreational spaces.”

The permanent-secretary also invited all 50 district offices to collaborate with private partners to hold a tree-planting activity in their areas every Sunday.

The Prem Prachakon Canal was recently promoted as a new city landmark thanks to landscape improvement along its banks and the opening of the “Bridge of Love” on Valentine’s Day last week.

Constructed over the old bridge with wider traffic lanes and a strengthened structure, the new bridge is expected to ease traffic and also become a new tourist attraction in Chatuchak.