Govt orders nationwide forest lockdown to fight wildfires and PM2.5

Speaking on April 14, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin said the ministry was acting in line with Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s policy to intensify wildfire prevention and haze control, with the key objective of stopping fires from the very start.

He said the Royal Forest Department and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation had been instructed to close reserved forests and protected forest areas in risk-prone zones across the country.

Under the new measures, outsiders will be strictly barred from entering these areas in order to reduce the risk of human-caused fires.

Authorities have also been ordered to enforce the law to the fullest extent against anyone who illegally enters forest areas or starts fires, with no exceptions.

Suchart said the ministry was strengthening ground operations with modern technology to make fire control faster and more effective.

Satellite imagery is being used to detect hotspots in real time and pinpoint locations more accurately.

Helicopters carrying water are being deployed to tackle fires in steep and hard-to-reach areas, while rapid-response vehicles are being positioned to help officers reach affected sites without delay.

“We are not just putting out fires. We are protecting the air that every Thai person breathes. The use of technology will help us work faster and more accurately,” Suchart said.

The Interior Ministry has also joined the operation to push management down to the local level, with all provinces instructed to take proactive action in their areas.

Governors have been given authority to make immediate decisions in emergency situations.

Volunteer teams, rescue units, kamnan and village heads are also being mobilised to monitor conditions and communicate with local communities through village broadcast systems.

Support plans are also being prepared for areas where PM2.5 levels continue to rise, including the deployment of rapid-response teams to reinforce operations on the ground.

Suchart also stressed that the safety of frontline personnel must come first. He said Dr Raweewan Bhuridej, permanent secretary of the ministry, had been instructed to closely oversee the welfare of officers in the field.

This includes checking their physical readiness, equipment and vehicles, introducing staff rotation systems to prevent fatigue that could lead to accidents, and ensuring emergency assistance is ready to quickly evacuate any injured personnel.

The government said it would continue efforts to control the situation until the crisis eases, in order to reduce the impact of PM2.5 pollution and preserve the country’s natural resources.