Thailand toughens measures to combat northern forest fires

STORY: Thailand toughens measures to combat northern forest fires SHOOTING TIME: March 11, 2024 DATELINE: March 12, 2024 LENGTH: 00:02:09 LOCATION: Bangkok CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of forest fires in Thailand 2. various of Thailand STORYLINE: Thailand is toughening up measures to combat forest fires, including a ban on unauthorized access to conserved areas, as unhealthy levels of airborne dust continued to plague most northern provinces on Monday. Increased surveillance and patrols on protected forest areas will be enforced, and any trespassers caught starting forest fires, a major source of PM 2.5 pollution, will face strict legal action, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Patcharawat Wongsuwan said in a statement on Sunday after meeting with local officials. The Pollution Control Department reported that air quality in most of the country's 17 northern provinces remained at unsafe levels on Monday, with concentrations of PM 2.5 pollutants in some areas of Chiang Rai province

Thai capital Bangkok reports unsafe levels of air pollution

STORY: Thai capital Bangkok reports unsafe levels of air pollution SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 15, 2024 DATELINE: Feb. 16, 2024 LENGTH: 00:01:23 LOCATION: Bangkok CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of Bangkok STORYLINE: Thailand's Pollution Control Department (PCD) reported unsafe levels of air pollution in all parts of Bangkok on Wednesday, prompting calls for remote work to combat excessive dust particles. Private sector and state agencies are urged to consider allowing their staff to work from home until the weekend as PM 2.5 pollution in the Thai capital and its surrounding areas is projected to worsen in the next two days due to air stagnation and increased fire hotspots, the PCD said in a statement. Unhealthy to very unhealthy levels of PM 2.5 pollutants, ranging from 58-105 micrograms per cubic meter, were detected in the Bangkok metropolitan region on Wednesday, according to the PCD. Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) also reached out to its agencies

Thailand's northern provinces report unsafe levels of air pollution

STORY: Thailand's northern provinces report unsafe levels of air pollution DATELINE: March 28, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:55 LOCATION: Bangkok CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of air pollution in Thailand's northern provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai STORYLINE: Air pollution continued to plague Thailand's northern provinces, with air quality in some regions reaching unhealthy levels, government reports showed on Monday. The Pollution Control Department (PCD) reported that air quality in most of the country's 17 northern provinces reached unsafe levels, with PM 2.5 soaring to 561 micrograms per cubic meter in some areas in Chiang Rai province, 11 times higher than the national safe limit of 50 micrograms. People in Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Nan and Chiang Mai provinces are advised to take extreme caution this week, PCD official Sakda Tridech said on Monday. The Thai government has attributed the intense air pollution to smoke from forest fires and agricultural burning. Satellite images from the Th