National—
On March 3rd, 2024, Ms. Kanika Aunjit, the Thai deputy government spokeswoman, held a press conference after the Thai cabinet meeting on approval of the annual budget for fiscal year 2024, with a total of 272 million baht assigned to a project to solve wildfire and smog problems and reduce PM 2.5 dust.
Meanwhile, 17 provinces in northern Thailand faced PM 2.5 problems at a concerning level as wildfires negatively affected locals in the past few years. The Thai government gave importance to the issues and raised the issue of PM 2.5 as a national agenda, remarked Kanika.
The area of 17 northern provinces is the center of Thailand with a large number of citizens living there and is an economic hub. However, the air pollution issue was from wildfires, agricultural burning, smog from neighboring countries, traffic and transportation, and business industries, according to Kanika.
The government project aimed to solve wildfire and smog problems to tackle PM 2.5 problems in 17 northern provinces, hot spots, and high-risk areas of wildfires during January-May, 2024, said Kanika.
