Air quality in Bangkok and its vicinity is deteriorating today, with increasing levels of PM2.5 dust in the atmosphere being measured at 16-41 microns, which is still below the 50-micron safety threshold, according to the Pollution Control Department.
The haze in several northern provinces, however, has worsened with forest fires and the burning of farm waste being the main cause.
Seven areas in the northern region were today classified as red zones for excessive levels of PM2.5 dust. They were:
- Tambon Ban Dong in Mae Moh district of Lampang, 189 microns
- Tambon Sobpard in Mae Moh district of Lampang, 141 microns
- Tambon Phra Baat of Muang district of Lampang, 135 microns
- Tambon Mae Moh in Mae Moh district of Lampang, 118 microns
- Tambon Nachak in Muang district of Phrae province, 146 microns
- Tambon Nai Wiang in Muang district of Nan province, 111 microns
- Tambon Ban Tom in Muang district of Phayao province, 103 microns
In Muang district of Lampang province, firefighters, officials from the Khelang Banpot national park and volunteers joined forces yesterday to contain forest fires on Doi Phra Baat Mountain in Tambon Phra Baat. The fires were allegedly started by unidentified villagers.
The fires were contained, but smoke shrouded most of Muang and Mae Moh districts, with the levels of PM2.5 measured between 127 and 209 microns.
