Chiang Mai—
On April 9th, 2024, Ms. Traisulee Traisanakul, the Secretary to the Thai Minister of the Interior, stated to the public regarding Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s inspection in Chiang Mai province to follow up on wildfire, smog, and small dust particle PM 2.5 issues.
Anutin expressed his concerns about the issues in Chiang Mai after receiving recent reports from the Governor of Chiang Mai and the Chiang Mai Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office. He emphasized providing care and assistance to the public and that fire wardens must have adequate and safe protective equipment, according to Traisulee.
Previously, on April 8th, the Chiang Mai Governor announced that eight districts in Chiang Mai had been affected by wildfires including Hot, Phrao, Fang, Mae Taeng, Chai Prakan, Chiang Dao, Mae Ai, and Wiang Haeng.
Yesterday (April 10th), Anutin would inspect Chiang Mai province to gather information to deliberate additional policy measures to tackle wildfire, smog, and small dust particle PM 2.5 issues in the affected area, said Traisulee.
As for Anutin’s schedule, he would listen to the current situation in Chiang Mai at Chiang Mai Command Center to prevent and resolve forest fires, smog, and small dust particles and then board a helicopter to monitor the live situation, according to Traisulee.
At 8:00 AM, yesterday’s air quality from the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) stated that five provinces in north Thailand including Mae Hong Son, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nan, and Lamphun, had exceeded PM 2.5 levels that could potentially affect health and respiratory system despite recent summer storms and hailstorm in the northern region, noted TPN.
