Srettha in Chiang Mai to check out measures to tackle PM2.5 pollution
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin visited the Mae Ngat Somboon Chon Dam in Chiang Mai’s Mae Taeng district to witness efforts in tackling PM2.5 pollution in the North.
PM2.5 refers to dust particles that are 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter and can be inhaled easily. Long-term exposure to these fine particles has been linked to many chronic diseases, including acute lung and heart disorders.
Accompanying Srettha on Saturday were Natural Resources and Environment Minister Phatcharavat Wongsuwan, the ministry’s permanent secretary Jatuporn Buruspat, Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation’s director-general Atthaphon Charoenchansa, and officials from related agencies.
Srettha applauded the officials’ hard work in preventing forest fires, which is one of the main sources of air pollution in the North. According to satellite images, the region’s hotspots in the past few months have dropped by a third compared to the previous year. The premier urged officials to continue their efforts over the next two to three months, before the arrival of the rainy season.
Srettha said he has instructed the Foreign Ministry to establish a task force to coordinate with the authorities in neighbouring countries to control the burning of agricultural waste. Smoke from the burning of farm waste wafts across the border into Thailand.
The premier said that if this problem persists, Thailand will take stringent measures, like banning the import of corn for animal feed from countries that still allow outdoor burning.
The PM said the government has also introduced alternative ways of getting rid of farm waste, including turning them into smoke-free biomass fuel with the use of modern technology. Army vehicles will be dispatched to help farmers transport the waste to the factories.
Srettha’s delegation then watched a demonstration of how helicopters are used to dump 3,000 litres of water to extinguish forest fires. The water is collected from the Mae Ngat Somboon Chon Dam.
Later, the premier and his team travelled to Srilanna National Park in Mae Taeng district to meet with the park’s forest rangers and volunteers tackling forest fires, as well as visit booths selling OTOP and community products.
