Air pollution in Chiang Mai has improved from last year and hopes are rising for good air quality in the future in the province and its main city, says provincial governor Nirat Wongsitthithavorn.
He made the comment on Wednesday during a discussion on pollution suppression and mitigation with representatives of 15 consulates and consulate-general offices in the province.
Mr Nirat said Chiang Mai authorities had prepared a pollution mitigation plan to help control the number of forest fires and agricultural burning.
Local authorities have also been working with residents to reduce the amount of burning, including finding causes and solutions for farm burning and providing jobs for those who earn their living by foraging for food like wild mushrooms in the forest.
This has helped to improve the wildfire situation in the province, he said.
Authorities have also been working with various organisations to reduce air pollution as well as trying to extinguish wildfires within 24 hours, said Mr Niran. Those approaches are helping to reduce levels of fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5), he said.
The highest PM2.5 reading in Chiang Mai in 2023 was 365 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m³), but so far this year the peak has been 162, Mr Niran said.
“The air quality has improved a lot from last year, as well as compared to the past, but we will work harder so our air will be of a high quality level, together with clear blue skies during dry seasons to come,” he told the gathering.
Chiang Mai governor Nirat Wongsitthithavorn leads a discussion on pollution suppression and mitigation with representatives from 15 consulates and consulate-general offices in the northern province on Wednesday. (Photo: Panumet Tanraksa)
The governor was asked to consider measures to ease the negative impact of PM2.5 so that tourists can have greater confidence in visiting Chiang Mai without fearing for their health.
The pollution situation in the province was still listed as “dangerous” on Wednesday, with at least 400 hotspots being detected by satellite.
The province has been blanketed in smog for weeks, with the main factor being wildfires in Chiang Mai, nearby provinces and neighbouring countries.
IQAir.com reported that the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Chiang Mai was 157 as of 6pm on Wednesday, far above the safe threshold of 100 but down from 183 at 9am. The fine particle level was169 µg/m³, giving the province the worst air quality in the nation.
The Northern Thailand Air Quality Health Index reported the fine dust level was 260 µg/m³ as of 9.30am.
Satellite images and data from the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Agency (Gistda) showed 411 hotspots in the province on Wednesday, with 83 in Chiang Dao district.
Satellite images on Tuesday showed that 561 hotspots had been found in Chiang Mai, the highest number in the northern region, followed by Mae Hong Son (499), Lamphang (242), Tak (207) and Uttaradit (152).