Heavy air pollution hangs over Lumpini Park, Jan 19, 2020, in downtown Bangkok, Thailand. (PHOTO / AP)
Thailand is preparing a series of measures to tackle the haze problem, including joint efforts with its neighbors, as air pollution in the country becomes a major public health concern.
The haze, partly fanned by wildfires, is posing a serious threat to people's health, as statistics from the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency indicated that more than two-thirds of Thailand’s 77 provinces recorded serious haze problems over several days last week.
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has made tackling pollution — especially of the PM 2.5 variety — as one of his government’s priorities. PM2.5 pollutants are fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less which can damage a person’s health
Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has made tackling pollution — especially of the PM 2.5 variety — as one of his government’s priorities. PM2.5 pollutants are fine particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less which can damage a person’s health.
To combat the haze, the Thai Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has introduced regulations to ban the disposal of agricultural waste. It has also set a target of reducing agriculture burning by 50 percent in 17 provinces in the northern region. In other provinces of the country, agriculture burning will be reduced by 10 percent.
Farmers are also encouraged to make three major changes: Adopting more efficient planting methods; planting more crops with less waste; and increasing the proportion of plants with economic value instead of crops.
“Thailand is also discussing cooperation with parties from both home and abroad, and making a specific goal of fighting the air pollution,” said Keniga Ounchit, the Prime Minister’s Office deputy spokesperson, at a recent press conference.
ALSO READ: Thailand rolls out new campaign to woo tourists
According to reports, Thailand and Cambodia are expected to form a joint task force to fight transboundary haze pollution when Srettha meets his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet, in Thailand next month, likely on Feb 7. They are also expected to agree to continue exchanging information through the task force.
Keniga added that the Thai government will communicate more with local farmers to educate them on farming and haze control. It will also strive to improve public awareness on the health risks posed by pollutants.
Apart from climate conditions, the sources of air pollution vary from region to region in Thailand, said Nion Sirimongkollertkul from the Faculty of Engineering at the Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna.
“In cities such as Bangkok, vehicle exhaust and industrial pollution are the main factors to blame, while the biggest sources of the toxic haze in the north region are forest fires and agricultural burning,” she explained.
READ MORE: Thailand's first EV rolls off production line with China' help
Last year, Bangkok’s neighboring province of Samut Prakan was ranked as having the world’s ninth worst air quality, according to House Fresh, a publication focused on air quality. Its analysis found that the province did not enjoy a single day of good air quality throughout the year.
Chiang Mai — northern Thailand’s cultural and tourist hub — also suffered from poor air. The worst day was recorded on April 6, when the PM 2.5 reading hit 223, nearly 15 times more than the daily limit advised by the World Health Organization.
“Smog poses a long-term threat to people’s health. We are worried about the children who may suffer from other conditions that are even worse. Also, the polluted air brings with it the risk of cancer,” Nion said.
During his visit to Chiang Mai last week, Srettha vowed to promote the development of an electric mass transit system to help solve the persistent air pollution problem, since it also affects the tourism industry.
