The Pollution Control Department's Director-General, Pinsak Suraswadi, has revealed that almost 90% of hotspots in northern Thailand have been caused by human activities, leading to an increase in PM2.5 atmospheric pollution that is expected to worsen before it improves.
The situation is particularly severe in Chiang Mai, which has been ranked the second-worst city in the world for air quality, according to the IQAir website, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) measurement of 177. This means that the pollution is posing a significant risk to the health of everyone living in the province.
Pinsak further noted that the vast majority of hotspots were found in protected forests, with humans being the primary source of the problem. The situation is predicted to worsen in the coming days, with higher levels of dust expected in Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Sukhothai, and Phitsanuloke.
The situation is particularly severe in Chiang Mai, which has been ranked the second-worst city in the world for air quality, according to the IQAir website, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) measurement of 177. This means that the pollution is posing a significant risk to the health of everyone living in the province.
Pinsak further noted that the vast majority of hotspots were found in protected forests, with humans being the primary source of the problem. The situation is predicted to worsen in the coming days, with higher levels of dust expected in Chiang Mai, Lamphun, Sukhothai, and Phitsanuloke.
He highlighted that there are many sugarcane farms and sugar mills in Phitsanuloke, Uttaradit, Sukhothai, Kamphaeng Phet, Phichit, and Phetchabun provinces, and farmers have been burning their crops at a faster rate as some millers begin shutting down their operations.
Pinsak emphasized that hotspots in Myanmar account for only 5% of the dust pollution problem in northern Thailand. The Geoinformatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) has also conducted a survey of the western and northern regions, which confirms that the burning of crops, such as sugarcane and maize waste, to prepare land for the next cultivation cycle is believed to be the cause of the increased hotspots.
Pinsak highlighted that setting up command centers in each province to deal with forest fires and deploying thousands of volunteers to fight the fires would only address the symptoms of the problem, without addressing its root cause. He urged the public to watch out for individuals who start fires and to alert the authorities, as it is critical to tackle the problem at its source.
Pinsak emphasized that hotspots in Myanmar account for only 5% of the dust pollution problem in northern Thailand. The Geoinformatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) has also conducted a survey of the western and northern regions, which confirms that the burning of crops, such as sugarcane and maize waste, to prepare land for the next cultivation cycle is believed to be the cause of the increased hotspots.
Pinsak highlighted that setting up command centers in each province to deal with forest fires and deploying thousands of volunteers to fight the fires would only address the symptoms of the problem, without addressing its root cause. He urged the public to watch out for individuals who start fires and to alert the authorities, as it is critical to tackle the problem at its source.
