The governor of Chiang Mai province in northern Thailand on Friday asked private employees and companies to work from home to avoid dangerous levels of air pollution in the region.
The city, with around a million inhabitants, is now at the “dangerous” level, the highest on the scale of the Air Visual portal, which measures air pollution worldwide, including PM 2.5 particles. .
This trend has been maintained for several days in this popular tourist destination due to the forest fires in the province and the period of burning agricultural stubble, prohibited by law but allowed by the authorities, during the dry and hottest season.
The levels of PM 2.5 particles – the most dangerous and so small that they can directly enter the bloodstream – were more than 69 times higher than the annual guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO), according to the measurement of the portal.
The provincial governor, Nirat Pongsitthavorn, urged the private sector to help workers and public servants to stay at home to “protect themselves and reduce the health impact” of PM 2.5 particles.
Regional authorities indicated that the situation could worsen in the coming days due to several out-of-control fires in the area.
Other northern provinces, such as Chiang Rai, Lampang and Nan, are also registering “dangerous” levels.
Air pollution, which has been registered for months throughout the country, is one of the recurring themes of the current campaign for the general elections on May 14, with different environmental proposals presented by almost all parties.
Since the beginning of the year, nearly 2 million people have required hospital treatment for respiratory illnesses caused by air pollution, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health.
Source: TSF
