Forest fire in Thai South almost stops, smog remains

NAKHON SI THAMMARAT, THAILAND, August 21 (TNA) - A fire raging the Kuan Kreng Peat Swamp Forest here over the past several days has almost stopped, thanks to heavy downpours overnight, but thick smog has remained to blanket nearly all areas in the southern Thai province. National Park, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation officials told reporters Tuesday morning that the heavy downpours in all areas throughout Nakhon Si Thammarat Monday evening have almost put out the wildfire at the Kuan Kreng Peat Swamp Forest, which covers five districts of the province. The officials said, however, that teams of concerned staff assigned from areas across the country to watch out the wildfire and to monitor its updates have remained on duty 24 hours, with frequent aerial surveys supported by Natural Resources and Environment Ministry helicopters. Local people, including motorists, workers and students, in nearly all areas in Nakhon Si Thammarat have, on the other hand, remained suffering from thick smog from the forest fire, which has reduced their visibility and caused inconvenience for normal traffic, particularly during daily rush hours. Several residents expressed their surprise for such the widespread and unprecedentedly-thick smog in their hometown. According to official reports, some 181,200 rai of farmlands and more than 107,300 households in all areas of Nakhon Si Thammarat have been affected by the wildfire at the Kuan Kreng Peat Swamp Forest, coupled with severe and widespread drought over the past couple of weeks, causing an initial damage of some 20 million baht to the local agricultural sector alone and prompting urgent assistance by several parties in and outside the province, even including the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), which has dispatched a caravan of 20-vehicle water supply and over 100 officials to help relieve the hardship of local people. (TNA)