PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha issued a clear message to relevant authorities in the North over the ongoing smog crisis: integrate efforts and achieve visible results within one week.

“I expect the situation to improve within seven days,” Prayut said during his working trip to smog-hit Chiang Mai yesterday.

He instructed provincial governors to closely check the work of kamnans and village heads.

“If they fail to prevent or solve problems, punish them. You can fire them,” he said.

Prayut also demanded reports on the daily situation, which must be submitted in keeping with the line of command.

“I will submit reports to the King too,” he said. According to him, HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn was concerned about the smog crisis and was closely following the situation.

Prayut made a short trip to the North yesterday in the face of growing complaints about the haze that has blanketed northern provinces and threatened locals’ health for months already.

Samoeng district,Chiang Mai

The amount of PM2.5 – particulate matter not more than 2.5 micrometers in diameter – has soared above safe limits in many northern provinces. Doctors say long-time exposure to PM2.5 can cause many health problems.

Ahead of Prayut’s visit, several critics questioned whether it would be meaningful.

Prayut, however, is trying to prove that his visit will make a difference. Yesterday, he sat down with the governors of nine northern provinces and representatives of relevant authorities in Chiang Mai.

AFP

“The urgent measure is to reduce the number of hotspots,” he said.

Outdoor fires – particularly agricultural fires – are blamed as the major cause of the severe air pollution in the North.

“We have already arrested several violators of outdoor-fire bans in smog-affected areas,” he said.

Asked about corn plantations that are now being vilified in social media as big polluters, Prayut said the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry had kept them in check.

“Also, we are going to investigate if investors are encouraging farmers to encroach on forest and mountainous areas for corn plantations. We won’t allow the buying of crops from plantations that encroach on forestland,” Prayut said.

Smoke from these fires, however, come from not just local farmers but also those living near Thailand’s borders.

“Thailand, as the chair of the Asean, will raise the issue with our neighbours,” he said.

Prayut said there would be medium-term plans for implementation over the next one to two years, and also long-term plans to prevent and reduce smog. During the trip, the premier presented some forest fire-fighting equipment along with facemasks and drinking water at a ceremony at the 33rd Military Circle at Kawila Camp. Some 100 police, Army and forest firefighters attended the event where the premier praised the sacrifices of the operative officials and forest fire-fighting volunteers and asked them to ensure their safety.

Despite reports of high PM2.5 and visibly smoggy conditions, Prayut and most people at the event did not wear facemasks.

During the ceremony, representatives of a Chiang Mai-based Indian community association donated drinking water and facemasks to forest firefighters.

Meanwhile, the Chiang Mai Air Quality Health Index (CMAQHI) Centre’s website (cmaqhi.org) said the hourly results of PM2.5 in Chiang Mai’s eight stations in the surrounding districts such as Samoeng, Mae Taeng and San Pa Tong were dangerously high at around 500 micrograms (mcg) per cubic metre of air. The Thai safe limit for PM2.5 is 50mcg. As of 11am, CMAQHI said tambon Samoeng Tai in Samoeng had 531mcg followed by tambon Kud Chang in Mae Taeng (502mcg). The air quality in both the places was so bad that the devices kept flashing “Beyond AQI”.

The Pollution Control Department put the 24-hour average of PM2.5 at between 39mcg and 238mcg in nine northern provinces. The worst-hit were tambon Jong Kham in Mae Hong Son’s Muang district (238mcg), tambon Wiang Phang Kham in Chiang Rai’s Mae Sai district (145mcg), Wiang in Chiang Rai’s Muang district (144mcg), Chang Pheuk in Chiang Mai’s Muang district (143mcg), Ban Klang in Lamphun’s Muang district (132mcg) and Huai Khon in Nan’s Chalerm Phrakiat district (122mcg).

The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency’s fire-monitoring system, citing a satellite image as of 1.36am yesterday, said there were 1,969 hot spots in nine northern provinces. Mae Hong Son had the most with 821 hotspots, followed by Chiang Mai (478), Chiang Rai (232), Lampang (116), Tak (89), Nan (77), Phayao (74), Phrae (63), and Lamphun (19).