Thai govt aims to reduce forest fires in half to tackle air pollution

This initiative is part of the 11 urgent measures introduced recently by the National Air Pollution Committee, chaired by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Pol General Patcharawat Wongsuwan.

In a departure from previous approaches, PM Srettha Thavisin’s administration plans to address forest fires as a collective challenge, focusing on 10 areas that experienced the largest forest fires this year.

Unlike past practices based on provincial boundaries, this new strategy will treat 11 protected forests and 10 national forest reserves above the Bhumibol Dam, spanning several provinces, as a unified entity.

The new measure will use satellite images reflecting scarred land to isolate areas susceptible to future fires more effectively than relying solely on hotspots.

The committee said the use of satellite images of burned land would offer more advantages, as fires sometimes occur when satellites are not positioned over burning areas, making hotspots undetectable.

Among the forests above Bhumibol Dam targeted – Mae Ping National Park, Mae Tuen Wildlife Sanctuary and Om Koi Wildlife Sanctuary – saw 840,000 rai (134,400 hectares) being burned this year, contributing significantly to air pollution.

The committee attributes forest fires to several factors, primarily spreading from village farms and illegal poaching activities.

To address these issues, the committee plans to mobilise officials from relevant agencies, collaborating with local communities to monitor and prevent forest fires.

This year, an estimated 3.3 million rai above the dam were burned by forest fires, the committee said.

It added that if it can prevent half of the burned scars from reigniting next year, it would significantly mitigate the scourge of PM2.5 air pollution.

PM2.5 is fine particulate matter that is 2.5 microns or less in diameter and can be inhaled, boosting the risk of health problems like heart disease, asthma and low birth rate. The main sources of PM2.5 pollution are vehicle emissions, construction sites and open burning of agricultural waste.

According to the World Health Organisation, 24-hour exposure to PM2.5 should not exceed 15 micrograms per cubic metre of air (µg/m3), while Thailand’s safe level is 37.5 µg/m3.