Environment Board approves urgent plan to tackle PM2.5

The National Environment Board on Wednesday approved an urgent plan to tackle PM2.5 air pollution, which is once again rising to hazardous levels in Bangkok and other large cities.     
The plan contains 12 measures and will be submitted to Cabinet soon, said Pollution Control Department chief Atthaphon Charoenchansa. 
The board, chaired Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan, has set up a pollution information centre. It will work in the same manner as the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, with a spokesperson reporting on the pollution situation, and a subcommittee tasked with combating forest fires in 17 northern provinces through November.
The board also asked the the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) to use satellite images from December 1 to provide dust-pollution alerts three days ahead of time .
“A 3-day advance dust forecast is the most practical tool to deal with PM 2.5, by alerting people in affected areas via SMS,” said Atthaphon.
He added that the PM2.5 pollution plan also called for development of an application to regulate the seasonal burn-offs that shroud Bangkok and other cities in smog. The app would allow people to book times for burning, he said.