Parts of Thailand disappears in a haze
Reports from Chiang Mai say that Thai Navy helicopters will be used to spray water in the sky to clear the dense smoke that has been choking the north of the country for more than two weeks.
Aphiwat Kunarak, director of the Environmental Office for the Region said that water would be scooped from dams in the province and showered from the sky at a height of more than 8,000 feet, with the water intended to produce more humidity in the sky to aid cloud-seeding operations ad the thick haze is posing health hazards, including respiratory ailments.
Yesterday, the haze pollution in Chiang Mai eased partly, with dust particles measured at 240 microgrammes per cubic metre (ug/cu m), as opposed to the previous 383 ug/cu m _ a record-high dust level for this year, however, the reduced level was still dangerous, as it remained far beyond the health standard, which is a maximum of 120 ug/cu m.
A Thai Royal rainmaking unit has been busy cloud-seeding, with in each operation, about 500 litres of water mixed with rainmaking chemicals being sprayed in the sky to increase humidity.
The Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry hap provided two more helicopters to support the operation and it is expected that the cloud-seeding operations would bring rain to the North next week.
Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, who flew to Chiang Mai yesterday, handed over fire extinguishers and other equipment to firefighters for use in fighting bush fires, which are partly to blame for the haze in the North, with slash-and-burn farming practices another major cause.
In Chiang Rai, the level of dust particles yesterday was higher than in Chiang Mai, reaching 339 ug/cu m as the provincial disaster prevention and mitigation office distributes about 11,000 gauze masks to residents.
Deputy Prime Minister and Social Development and Human Security Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham said urgent measures will be taken to cut down the number of bush fires to 250 from 834 in seven days and provincial anti-haze centres will be set up, with the headquarters at Government House.
Tour operators called on the government to speed up tackling the haze problem, before it affects tourism during the Songkran festival next month and longer-term bookings, with Anake Srishevachart, President of Thai Travel Agent, said he feared that tourism would feel the pinch in the coming holidays, however, he opposed any attempts to declare haze-hit northern provinces disaster areas fearing that would hurt local tourism just as much.
Thai Hotel Association Vice President Prakit Chinamourpong said occupancy rates in Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son had dropped to 60% this month, from 90% in the last two months, with people opting to go to beaches instead, adding, ”Normally, the peak season with a 90% occupancy rate resumes during the Songkran festival.”
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
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