East Asia Regional Council of Overseas School

Bangkok has long been notorious for its massive traffic jams, which are still a serious problem. Although the recent construction of elevated second-level expressways and the Bangkok Mass Transit System's (BTS) SkyTrains have eased the problem a little, much more needs to be done for the transportation infrastructure.

Environmental issues such as air pollution, a large part of which is caused by the traffic, is also a major problem. Industrial pollution has also contributed to poor air and water quality. There have been efforts to clean up Bangkok's canals, many of which are dangerously polluted, through biological means - using water hyacinths, a plant commonly found in the waterways, to cleanse the water of pollutants.

Like many other Asian cities, the sale of illegally copied copyright-protected material (mostly software and DVD movies) is also widespread in Bangkok. One of the most popular locations in Bangkok for purchasing unauthorized copies of software is Pantip Plaza. Although many attempts have been made at cracking down on illegal copying by raiding Pantip and other venues over the years, these have been largely ineffective and illegal copying of copyrighted material is still a booming business.