'Disaster zone' back to normal
Authorities will consider on Monday whether to end the disaster-zone status given to Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son now the smog crisis in the North has eased significantly.
As of yesterday, the concentration of dust particles smaller than 10 micrograms in size (PM10) in the air had dropped to just 64 micrograms per cubic metre in Chiang Mai's Mae Rim district and just 55 micrograms per cubic metre in Lampang. Readings for Chiang Rai were not available because the dust-monitoring devices there were damaged in heavy rains on Tuesday. However, the rains also cleared up the haze significantly. "The situation in Chiang Rai has apparently improved," Deputy Prime Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham said yesterday. In Mae Hong Son, the level of PM10 dust particles dropped from 284 micrograms per cubic metre on Wednesday to just 166 micrograms yesterday. "This is getting close to the normal level," said Paiboon, who chairs a group tackling the crisis. "We will monitor the situation closely and draw up a long-term solution," Paiboon said. The Pollution Control Department called on Mae Hong Son residents to avoid lighting fires outdoors and advised that children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems refrain from outdoor activities.
|
