160,000 hectares of land in Thailand’s North face destruction in wildfires
An estimated 1 million rai (160,000 hectares), spanning 10 provinces in the northern part of Thailand, is predicted to be destroyed by wildfires between February 19-25, according to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA).
The 10 provinces are Tak, Lampang, Chiang Mai, Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phitsanulok, Uttaradit, and Kamphaeng Phet.
The GISTDA said that wildfires were likely to be caused by locals, who burn the area before planting and after a harvest.
The agency said most of the sites predicted to have wildfires were conserved areas in national parks and agricultural sites, adding that it would work to develop measures to cope with the blaze.
Using information from satellites, the agency revealed that on Thursday alone, there had been as many as 1,532 hot spots nationwide.
Of these, 671 occurred at conserved wild areas, 340 at national reserved forests, 232 at agricultural sites, 163 at Sor Por Kor land (lands that the Agricultural Ministry gave to locals), 115 at community areas, and 11 along the highway.
Kanchanaburi saw the most hot spots at 221.
The agency revealed that of other regional nations, Myanmar had 1,485, Laos 851, Cambodia 833, and 595 in Vietnam.
