PUBLISHED: 4:41 on December 7, 2023.
Now that the nation has entered the high-pollution risk season, the Interior Ministry has mandated that provincial authorities immediately take precautions against fine particulate matter ( PM2.5 ).
The World Health Organization ( WHO ) has advised the government to reduce the safe limit to 25 microgrammes per cubic meter ( g/m3 ).
On Wednesday andnbsp, Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reportedly ordered provincial governors and Hazard Prevention and Mitigation agencies across the nation to establish PM2.5 pollution reduction measures. This was according to Interior Ministry spokesperson Traisulee Taisaranokul.
Winter is the peak of the high-pollution danger time, particularly in Bangkok and other nearby cities and 17 northern provinces.
According to Ms. Traisulee,” Agencies may strictly enforce the law against activities which probably cause pollutants, such as available burning, and some types of industrial job and construction.”
Fire need to be avoided. To prevent open burning, which can result in wildfires, municipal authorities are required to get in touch with locals and promote other waste management, she said.
Municipal offices may announce real-time updates and issue warnings to locals if the situation worsens, whether it is due to a wildfire or high levels of PM2.5 waste.
Additionally, Mr. Anutin commanded strategic actions against citizens in places at risk of air pollutants, such as preventive measures and penalties for those who break the law.
” Mr. Anutin worries about firefighters ‘ health as they fight to put out fires. He emphasized that [government organizations ] may offer adequate security and funding,” she said.
According to Pattharawalai Sirinara, a professor at Chulalongkorn University’s Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, the northwestern region and Bangkok, where air pollution is frequently the worst in the nation, have the highest rates of lung cancer fatalities. In the middle North and Bangkok, respectively, the ratio of lung cancer deaths in 2017 was 34.08 per 100, 000 people.