PM to visit haze-hit Thai North

BANGKOK, April 21 (TNA) - Expressing concerns over the health of northerners as they have to confront with heavy smog and smoke from bush fires in the region, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha is scheduled to visit the Thai North and meet local people late this month. Thai Government Spokesman Major General Sansern Kaewkamnerd told journalists on Thursday that the prime minister will visit Chiang Mai Province on April 27. The spokesman noted that people in the Thai North, especially those in Chiang Mai, are having a difficult life after the government's ban on outdoor burning has ended since April 15 because some local corn growers have resumed burning their farms. The spokesman said the prime minister understands that farm burning is a best method for growers because it is inexpensive, but the burning causes hardship to the general public because the smoke spreads widely even to nearby provinces, causing poor visibility and affecting people’s health. According to the spokesman, the prime minister has ordered governors of the northern smog-hit provinces to explain to thier people for their proper understanding of the haze problem because using the law alone cannot solve the problem. Meanwhile, Chatchai Promlert, Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, under the Ministry of Interior, told reported that his department has worked together with the Pollution Control Department, under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and found that the levels of particulate matters in air (PM10) in nine northern haze-hit provinces over the past 24 hours on average stood between 67-192 migrogramme per cubic metre and the air quality index (AQI) stood between 67-132. Chatchai revealed that the nine provinces include Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Sorn, Nan, Phrae, Phayao, and Tak, with PM10 in Chiang Mai measured the highest at 192 migrogramme per cubic metre, affecting people's health. The senior official stated that his department has provided 16 water spraying vehicles to help create moisture in the air in order to relieve haze, while also advising people to follow up updated information and guidances. Thai Public Health Minister Dr. Piyasakon Sakonsatayatorn, in the meantime, warned people of risk groups in the Thai North to refrain from doing activities outdoor. (TNA)