 Print Article
|
A day earlier, Thailand's King Bhumibol Adulyadej had voiced concern over the pollution problem.
There was some improvement in conditions yesterday compared to several days back, Chiang Mai residents said, but the pollution level was still bad.
One resident told The Straits Times over the phone that a recently installed air purifier could work for only 20 minutes at a time before the filter became clogged.
The Thai authorities use a standard called PM10 - indicating levels of dust particles smaller than 10 microns in diameter, likely to be inhaled by humans - to measure smoke and dust pollution.
A few days ago, the PM10 pollution level was at a dangerous 200, but as of yesterday afternoon, it had dropped to between 74 and 95 in and around Chiang Mai.
Anything above 120 is considered hazardous to health.
Amid the mounting summer heat, Mae Hong Son province, which usually bears the brunt of forest fires in the rugged hills of the Thai-Myanmar border, has been the worst hit.
Wildfires could be seen in the hills at night, residents said.
On Tuesday, an incoming Thai Airways flight had to be diverted because of poor visibility.
Yesterday's morning flight from Chiang Mai to Mae Hong Son was also cancelled.
By 3pm yesterday, however, visibility had improved from 1.2km to 5km, and normal air services had been restored.
An official of Mae Hong Son municipality told The Straits Times that conditions in the morning were usually bad but would improve by the afternoon - and yesterday was better than previous days.
The Ministry of Public Health in Bangkok on Tuesday scrambled to send 200,000 face masks to northern towns after King Bhumibol asked for daily reports on the situation.
Pollution Control Department chief Supat Wangwongwatana said that the problem was related to forest fires in 'hot spots' in Thailand, as well as neighbouring Myanmar and Laos.
On Tuesday, he was reported as saying: 'The number of hot spots in Indochina was getting high on March 22 with 952, and gradually dropped to 575 and only 271 on March 24.'
Local officials and residents are hoping for rain to dampen fires and clear the air.
They include those involved in Chiang Mai's thriving tourism sector, which according to some reports has seen a dip in bookings following reports of the pollution.
