Haze spreading
The haze that has blanketed Chiang Mai over the past few days has spread to nearby provinces and is making it difficult for aircraft to fly safely in Mae Hong Son, an environmental official said yesterday.
"Air pollution [in Chiang Mai] is much worse this year than last year," said Apiwat Kunarak, director of Environment Office Region One."It has spread to Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son and made Mae Hong Son's air crisis so severe that aircraft cannot operate effectively and safely." The amount of dust in the air was almost twice the acceptable level yesterday morning, Apiwat said. Dust particles had risen to 210-215 micrograms per cubic metre, he said, adding that the acceptable level was 120 micrograms per cubic metre. The combination of haze and a rising temperature is making living in the northern city quite uncomfortable, Apiwat said. Last year, an intensive campaign to prevent forest fires and outdoor burning succeeded in preventing the kind of air pollution seen this year, he said. Apiwat said the failure to tackle outdoor burning of rubbish, brush and fields was a major cause of the haze. The Environment Office has opened a 24-hour hotline at (053) 890 000 for people to report forest fires and outdoor burning. Atsadaporn Kamthai, Citylife, Chiang Mai
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