Factories, farms, forests: Targets for Thai agency in PM2.5 battle

Pollution Control Department (PCD) director-general Pinsak Suraswadi, who also heads the CAPM, said these measures will cover the three key areas where PM2.5 fine particles are created, namely cities, farming areas and forests.
PM2.5 stands for particulate matter that is a mere 2.5 microns or less in width.
Pinsak said that in cities, PM2.5 mainly comes from traffic and factories, so solutions will focus on these areas.
The public and private sectors will be instructed to ensure their vehicle engines are well maintained to ensure they do not emit any fine particles.

Public buses and commercial vehicles will also be checked regularly to ensure those that emit dark exhaust smoke are kept off the streets.
As of October, a total of 896 factories that may cause pollution have been shortlisted for regular inspections all year to ensure fine particles are kept at a minimum.
In agricultural areas, PM2.5 is mainly caused by the burning of farm waste, Pinsak said, adding that farmers will be told to stop clearing their fields with fire.
The initial target is to cover 17,640 farmers in 62 provinces, with the goal of cutting down “hot spots” by 10%.
In the forests, PM2.5 is mainly caused by wildfires. Pinsak said that to combat this, at least 3,000 tonnes of combustible materials will be collected from the forests in a bid to reduce hot spots by 20%.
He said that in Thailand, the concentration of PM2.5 fine particles often worsens around the late and early periods of the year when the country is covered by high-pressure ridges from China.