High alert in 17 Northern Provinces as air pollution rises

Jirayu Huangsub, Advisor to The National Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Command Centre, revealed that during the meeting on Monday, March 17, 2025, the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) reported 6,713 hotspots detected across Thailand.

The five provinces with the highest number of hotspots are:

Tak – 1,004 hotspots
Chiang Mai – 656 hotspots
Lampang – 643 hotspots
Nan – 453 hotspots
Phayao – 448 hotspots

Meanwhile, hotspots in neighbouring countries continue to accumulate, particularly in Myanmar, where 55,839 hotspots have been detected. Authorities will closely monitor air pollution levels until March 23, 2025, especially in upper northern provinces bordering Myanmar.

This aligns with data from the Pollution Control Department, which reports that air quality nationwide remains within normal to good levels, except for all 17 northern provinces, where air quality has reached levels harmful to public health. The PM2.5 concentration in these provinces ranges from 25.6 to 143.0 µg/m³, classified as orange level (unhealthy for sensitive groups).

"During today's meeting, all agencies in the 17 northern provinces were specifically instructed to closely monitor rising air pollution levels until March 23, particularly in upper northern areas bordering neighbouring countries."

Meanwhile, the Department of Industrial Works reported that inspections have been conducted across 17 northern provinces to ensure factories comply with regulations and mitigate pollution sources. 

From November 2024 to the present, a total of 759 factories have been inspected, with 752 found in compliance and 7 requiring corrective actions before resuming operations.

Additionally, the Royal Thai Police conducted vehicle emissions inspections from March 12–16, 2025, checking 15,440 vehicles, resulting in 1,152 prosecutions and 8,862 warnings for excessive emissions. Authorities also conducted 862 patrols to prevent the illegal burning of forests, crops, and farmland, leading to 10 legal cases.