Chiang Mai is again the city with the worst air pollution in the world today. The provincial administration is urging public and private sectors to let their staff work from home and advising tourists to avoid outdoor activities until Thursday, due to high levels of PM2.5 in the air.
Chiang Mai Governor Nirat Pongsitthithavorn said today that the announcement is necessary for the health of tourists and locals. He noted that there is still a communication gap between the authorities and the public regarding the PM2.5 problem caused by forest fires.
He stated that officials have tried all means to prevent forest fires, including offering rewards for the arrest of arsonists, but the fires continue. He revealed that, some days, more than 500 hotspots are detected and, since the beginning of April, over 6,000 hotspots were detected in Thailand’s neighboring countries.
Fang and Prao districts of Chiang Mai were declared public disaster zones last Thursday because of the worsening smoke problem from forest fires.
From last Thursday until today, PM2.5 levels have been between 84.1µg/m³-224.3µg/m³ throughout the day and night, posing a threat to health. The governor said that all government agencies in the province have been instructed to implement work from home measures for staff not dealing directly with the public and to use teleconferencing for meetings, for public safety.
Restaurants and other entertainment venues are advised to provide air-conditioned rooms for customers.
All outdoor activities in public parks are suspended from today until Thursday, and members of the public are advised to wear face masks whenever they go outdoors.
At 7am today, Chiang Mai had the worst air quality, with an AQI reading of 194, followed by Kathmandu in Nepal at 193, New Delhi at 186, Lahore in Pakistan at 183, Dakar in Senegal at 166, Kuwait City at 166, Yangon in Myanmar at 164, Dhaka in Bangladesh at 159, Shanghai at 152, and Kuala Lumpur at 146.
For most of the northern region today, PM2.5 readings exceed the 37.5µg/m³ threshold level, ranging from 35µg/m³-192.7µg/m³. PM2.5 in 18 areas have reached the red level today.
The situation in the north-eastern region is as bad, with PM2.5 levels ranging from 30.5µg/m³ to 83.8µg/m³. Only four areas in the central and western regions have excessive PM2.5, while air quality in the southern and eastern regions is considered good.
Air quality in and around Bangkok is very good, with PM2.5 levels measured at 9.1µg/m³ to 24.9µg/m³, below the 37.5µg/m³ threshold.
