Air quality in Mae Sai hits dangerous levels
Smog in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district worsened yesterday, with small dust particles jumping to 305.6 micrograms per cubic metre of air - the highest in the country.
Chiang Rai Governor Thanin Supasean, who is studying the situation, handed out masks yesterday.
For people to remain in sound health, each cubic metre of air should contain no more than 120 micrograms of small dust particles, which are PM10 in size.
Once the amount of dust particles goes beyond 200 micrograms, people are usually advised to stay indoors. However, the situation in Mae Sai was clearly worse.
An informed source said yesterday that the smog in Chiang Rai was getting serious because farmers in a neighbouring country had started burning up forests to clear land for the upcoming farming season.
Residents in Chiang Rai’s Muang district were also at risk as the amount of PM10 particles hovered around 219.3 micrograms per cubic metre of air.
Meanwhile, Apicha Trasin, chairman of the Chiang Rai Tourism Association, warned that if this situation continues for any longer, it could harm people’s health and scare away tourists. In Chiang Mai, each cubic metre of air was found to contain 200.72 micrograms of small dust particles and the problem was found to be persisting despite the rain-making operations.
Chiang Mai Tour Guide Association chairman Somrit Haikham has called on all relevant parties to join hands in extinguishing forest fires, strictly controlling dust from construction sites and preventing people from setting fires for land-clearing purposes.
Mae Hong Son had about 168.88 micrograms of small dust particles per cubic metre of air.
Pai Tourism Club chairwoman Walaiporn Ruangnitikul said the smog was worse this year compared to last year. Pai is a popular tourist destination in Mae Hong Son.
“Smog hits us between mid-February and mid-March every year, but this year it is more severe,” she said, adding that tourists were only expected to return once the rainy season begins.
The air quality in some other northern provinces was also worrying, with its amount reaching 243.13 micrograms per cubic metre of air in Phayao, 206.67 micrograms in Lampang, 202 micrograms in Phrae, 165.25 micrograms in Nan and 136.04 micrograms in Lamphun.
