TDRI urges govt to set up independent agency with separate funding to tackle PM2.5

The policy think tank recently published an article advising the government to set up a national PM2.5 policy committee and a management centre that can coordinate efforts of relevant government agencies to tackle PM2.5 pollution that has been troubling the North for years.

PM2.5 is fine particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns in the air and exposure to it has been associated with premature mortality, as well as acute lung and heart conditions.

The TDRI said the centre could compile big data related to the PM2.5 pollution, before analysing it and working out solutions from past situations and obstacles.

The centre should also make available real-time information on all hotspots and burning areas, so government agencies can prepare for forest fires in advance and tackle them effectively, the TDRI said.

TDRI also proposed that the new body be granted separate funds to manage the pollution, as funds earmarked in the national budget are not enough for tackling forest fires.

The TRDI article said a new body that is solely devoted to tackling pollution and forest fires is needed because the government has been trying but failing to prevent forest fires, which have become the major reason behind the high levels of PM2.5 in the North of Thailand.

The institute also noted that forest fires have been occurring in the same areas over the past 10 years, namely:

• 460,000-rai Sri Nan National Park

• 460,000-rai Sri Nakharind Dam National Park

• 370,000-rai Mae Tuen Wildlife Sanctuary

• 360,000-rai Salween National Park

The TDRI also noted that maize farmers covering some 1.42 million rai in the North set fire to their harvest waste every year.

Hence, it said, a new committee and centre were needed to effectively fight against PM2.5 pollution. It also proposed the following:

• Accelerating legal amendments

The TDRI said the government should speed up the amendment of related laws so it could be armed with legal tools to fight air pollution. The law would allow the government to use price measures and subsidies to encourage farmers to stop burning their harvest waste.

• Sandbox in upper North

TDRI said the government could set up a PM2.5 sandbox in the North and other provinces that are troubled by the same pool of pollution. It said the sandbox could be managed through a special law, and the body managing the sandbox should be granted full authority by the government.

• Compiling big data

The government should gather and compile big data on the PM2.5 situation, so government agencies can use this data to plan measures to fight air pollution.

• Integrating budget

Funds to fight PM2.5 allocated to central and local government agencies should be integrated for better efficiency and results.

• Cooperation from neighbouring countries

The government should seek cooperation from neighbouring countries to crack down on farm burning, though it should be careful not to violate the World Trade Organisation’s rules if it seeks to ban imports from farms blamed for transborder pollution.