CHIANG MAI, April 2 (TNA) – Prime Minister Prayut
Chan-o-cha on Tuesday made a trip to inspect measures taken by government
agencies to tackle the haze situation in the North.
The premier arrived in Chiang Mai which has been hit hard
with hazardous smog for weeks. He gave
moral support to army personnel at an airbase tasked to fight bushfires during
the crisis.
Gen Prayut conveyed a message of His Majesty King Maha
Vajiralongkorn expressing his concerns over the haze and wildfire situation in
the northern region.
Gen Prayut said his government was ready to provide helps to
state officials and workers urging them to strictly enforce the law in
eradicating illegal burnings.
Later, he hosted a meeting of local officials from nine
upper northern provinces to discuss the haze and smoke which has enveloped the
region for the past two months.
The prime minister told the gathering to assess their
performance by identifying administrative problems or obstacles in order to
stop the crisis within one week.
Outside the meeting venue, a group of Chiang Mai residents
gathered to call on the government to declare Chiang Mai a disaster zone.
Fine particulate matter PM2.5 in the north exceeded safety
level of 50 micrograms per cubic meter on Tuesday. PM2.5 rose 110-150 micrograms at air quality
stations in Chiang Mai where nearly 500 hotspots are reported.
In the upper North, over 1,900 hotspots have been detected,
mostly in Mae Hong Son, causing thick smog enveloping the region. Farm waste burning both in Thailand and
neighbouring countries – Laos and Myanmar—is also blamed for the problem.(TNA)
