Chiang Rai governor holds urgent hotspot meeting
Chiang Rai governor Boonsong Techamanisatit met with administrative officials and executives from local bodies on Tuesday to get details on the forest fires raging in their jurisdictions.
The move followed the northern province implementing a 60-day ban on outdoor burning up until April 17.
Nineteen hotspots were reported in the province.
After the meeting, a memorandum of understanding between Boonsong and other officials that calls for better hotspot prevention measures.
He said authorities would continue to implement strict measures in a bid to prevent fires because such an approach worked.
He said many areas which usually reported many hotspots, such as tambon Wawee of Mae Suai district, had not reported a hotspot this year.
He said after the 60-day ban was lifted, officials would allow staggered field-clearing burns to reduce haze.
According to the Pollution Control Department report at 9am on Tuesday, Mae Hong Son had the highest level of small particulate matter of up to 10 microns in diameter (PM10) at 136 micrograms per cubic metre, while the rest of the northern provinces were within the safe PM10 level of under 120 micrograms.