The Administrative Court in Chiang Mai has instructed Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and the National Environmental Board (NEB) to put in place measures to combat ultra-fine dust pollution and especially safeguard the health of people in the northern region.
The court's order is in response to a lawsuit last April by civil society groups in the North who accused the prime minister and the NEB of falling short in their efforts to mitigate the persistent haze problem.
In the lawsuit, the groups demanded the prime minister exercise his authority under Section 9 of the Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act, which grants him the power to instruct agencies to take adequate steps to address an environmental hazard.
They also demanded the NEB implement the national plan to mitigate the ultra-fine dust pollution declared by the government in 2019. The groups blamed the prime minister's delay in taking action and the NEB's neglect for the continued levels of PM2.5.
In its ruling, the court found the prime minister and the NEB were lacking in their efforts to address the haze problem. But because this has eased in the northern region since May, the court was unable to order the defendants to carry out the specific actions demanded by the civil society groups.
The North continues to grapple with high levels of PM2.5 from December to April each year, and the problem is only expected to worsen.
The court said the PM and NEB must have an action plan ready within 90 days.
As of 7am yesterday, 45 provinces were experiencing unsafe pollution levels, with PM2.5 levels exceeding the safe threshold of 37.5 µg/m³, according to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda).
Twenty-two provinces, including Bangkok, had seriously harmful, red-coded pollution levels, while the others had unsafe, orange-coded levels of ultra-fine dust.
Democrat Party deputy leader Suchatvee Suwansawat yesterday called on the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to issue timely alerts whenever the haze worsens.
"The BMA should first and foremost alert parents. Small children should stay at home. LED boards across the capital should display a warning for people to wear face masks," he wrote.
He also urged the BMA to enforce related laws and ensure construction sites comply with measures designed to control dust pollution. He stressed that the haze problem could be resolved if those in power take the issue seriously and tackle its root causes.
The air quality in Bangkok is forecast to improve on Jan 23-23 due to better air circulation. The Pollution Control Department, the Land Transport Department, the Traffic Police Division and the BMA yesterday set up checkpoints in 17 districts to examine black smoke from vehicles as part of attempts to control the sources of PM2.5. About 60% of the haze pollution is believed to be caused by traffic.