Chiang Mai residents wake up to worst air pollution in the world again
Thailand's northern capital Chiang Mai had the highest level of air pollution in the world again on Saturday, according to the air-pollution monitoring website IQAir.
It was the first time it topped the list since Wednesday.
IQAir ranks the world’s major cities by their level of air pollution. It says a reading above 101 is unhealthy.
It topped the list of most polluted cities in the world all day.
The IQAir scale ranges from green (0-50, good air quality), to yellow (51-100, intermediate), orange (101-150, unhealthy for some groups), red (151-200, unhealthy), purple (201-300, very unhealthy), and dark purple (over 301, hazardous).
Bangkok’s air quality was in the intermediate level, peaking at 75, on Saturday.
As many as 12,671 patients have been hospitalised at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital since January 1 for respiratory illness and allergies linked to severe air pollution, the hospital said.
Chiang Mai’s air crisis is a result of farmers burning fields as well as haze drifting in from Laos and Myanmar, officials say.
The 10 cities with the worst air pollution in the world as of 7am were:
1. Chiang Mai, Thailand – 306
2. Wuhan, China – 169
3. Inchon, Korea – 160
4. Beijing, China – 154
5. Dhaka, Bangladesh – 151
6. Shenyang, China – 151
7. Lahore, Pakistan – 147
8. Accra, Ghana – 141
9. Dubai, United Arab Emirates – 137
10. Johannesburg, South Africa – 134
