network of dust litigants Let’s come together to declare Chiang Mai province a polluted area. After the government neglected to solve the problem of PM2.5, which greatly affected the lifestyle of the people of Chiang Mai. And government agencies are still appealing the administrative court’s order asking the government to rush to resolve the problem, academics point out. The government should find new solutions different from those The old approach did not work.
“The government’s negligence in not addressing and announcing a contingency plan to address the PM2.5 dust problem in the northern region is driven by concern over the impact it will only have on the economy and tourism industry, without consider people’s lives and health: this is a serious violation of people’s human rights,” reads the network’s announcement.
“It is therefore necessary to announce that Chiang Mai is a city with serious levels of air pollution. The government or government agency does not need to announce this. Because it is evidently difficult to maintain hope,” we read in an article.
Such an announcement by the public sector It happened after Chiang Mai Including the northern region, which from the beginning of 2024 faces serious problems with dust and smoke, with PM2.5 values that meet the criteria for affecting health.
Civil society is also trying to ask the government to declare Chiang Mai a disaster area. To mobilize local agencies to urgently resolve the dust and smoke problem, but Prime Minister Settha Thavisin confirmed that the government will not yet declare Chiang Mai a disaster area. so as not to impact the local economy
“Regarding the law on disasters and emergencies, they say that it was not announced because they were worried about tourists. In reality this is not the case. We are also worried about the people in the area. Also regarding domestic trading activities It affected them all. And then there’s the division of international standards: At what point can we make an announcement? We believe that what we do today will bring some relief. Of course I’m not complacent, I’m not saying that the air in Chiang Mai “It’s good. We’re still working continuously,” Mr. Settha explained.
Fabric signs indicating pollution areas Risk of lung cancer It has been installed in front of the Faculty of Law. Chiang Mai University After the announcement of Chiang Mai as a polluted area by the public sector network on April 4, 2024 (Wanna Taemthong/BenarNews)
Previously, on January 19, 2024, the Chiang Mai Administrative Court There is an order for the government to create a plan to solve the dust and smoke problem within 90 days of a lawsuit filed by the public sector against General Prayut Chan -o-cha, Prime Minister, and related agencies on April 10, 2023, for working late and neglecting to carry out their duties in managing the PM2.5 problem However, the National Environment Council Against this order has appeal was filed on 15 February 2024.
“The Chiang Mai Administrative Court issued a decision in January 2024, requiring the prime minister to use his legal powers to prepare a plan to address the dust problem. However, the environmental committee appealed the administrative court’s decision of Chiang Mai Therefore, resolving the problem with legal measures will take time,” said the Dust Lawsuiters Network.
On the other hand, in early January 2024, the House of Representatives unanimously voted 443 in favor on the first draft of the Clean Air Act.
Meanwhile, Settha announced that solving the dust and smoke problem is one of the national agendas. And in March 2024, the Council of Ministers (Cabinet) approved the central budget. From the annual budget for 2023 to implement a project to solve the problems of forest fires and smog in the northern region, the amount amounts to 272.65 million baht, but the problem still remains.
To the problems that arise, Associate Prof. Dr. Phanom Kunawong, School of Public Administration Chi Mai University points out that if the government and related agencies use the same methods to solve problems as they have done in the past, there will be no way to solve them successfully.
“The big problem is that we don’t have new policy innovations to help solve the smog problem. We saw that everything was still the same as before, trying to find replacement plants. Building fire lines Try to manage the biomass that contributes to forest fires Either by reconnaissance or by using satellites. But the pattern is still the same, and that is why the problem has not been resolved,” said Associate Prof. Dr. Phanom.
“The body of knowledge in every field has enough research results. Including knowledge regarding the success of various projects in various locations that have succeeded in preventing the occurrence of hot spots. Prevent fires in the community area. There is a lot of knowledge everywhere. But how seriously is it applied at the command level? This is the most important question,” added Associate Professor Dr. Phanom.
in this Thursday Air Pollution Problem-solving Communication Center The Department of Pollution Control said that “the northern region largely exceeded the standard, measuring 47.6 – 203.7 micrograms/cubic meter, with Chiang Dao District, Chiang Mai Province, having the highest dust value of 203.7 micrograms/cubic meter.”
It also warns the general public, especially in crisis areas. You should be careful about your health. Reduce time spent doing outdoor activities. or use self-protection devices People who need special healthcare If you have health symptoms You should consult a doctor.
The Geoinformatics and Space Technologies Development Agency (GISTDA) said this on Thursday. Across the country, 3,184 hotspots were detected, the provinces with the highest number of hotspots were Chiang Mai with 565 hotspots, Mae Hong Son with 558 hotspots and Kanchanaburi with 348 hotspots, while Myanmar had 6,538 hotspots , Laos 5,478 hot spots and Vietnam 1,150 hot spots.
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