Smog in five northern provinces has eased after two days of heavy rains, while that in Mae Hong Son is still severe.
While the acrid air in Chiang Rai, Lamphun and Phayao reduced a bit, the situation in Chiang Mai and Lampang has visibly improved, with density levels reduced to nearly a safe level.
In Mae Hong Son, the latest province facing the problem, 12,914 people having respirato¬ry problems sought treatment at seven hospitals, according to the provincial public health office. Fortyseven thousand protective masks were distrib¬uted to local residents.
During the peak smog den¬sity, from Sunday to Thursday, 81,186 people throughout the North reported smogrelated illnesses, 66,649 of them respi¬ratory problems, another 10,340 from heart problems or discomfort in the chest, and 2,027 from skin rash. Dr Watthana Kanjanakamol, the chief of the regional public health office, said the overall number could go above 100,000 by the end of the month.
He said evacuation of people with severe heath risks was pos¬sible if the smog increased to a critical level again. A total of one million protective masks had been distributed throughout the North, and there were only 50,000 of them left available for distribution.
The head of the chamber of commerce in Mae Hong Son, Suphoj Klinpraneet, said the local tourism industry had suf¬fered around Bt20 million in loss of revenue after flights to and from this province were suspended for five days due to poor visibility caused by thick smog. "The sky is of full of smog and people stay inside their homes. The situation is very bad," he said.
