PARTS of the upper north and northeast Thailand remained shrouded in hazardous levels of smoke on Tuesday, with thousands of residents in the region treated for respiratory conditions.
Chiang Mai retained its No.1 spot as the most polluted city in the world based on a live ranking by IQAir, a Swiss air quality company that monitors fine particulate matter or PM2.5 data in around 100 cities worldwide.
Northern provinces of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun, Lampang, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Phayao, and Phrae recorded unsafe levels of PM2.5 – an air pollutant that is a concern for people’s health when levels in the air are high.
Chiang Mai was also ranked as the most polluted city for two consecutive days earlier this month due to unhealthy levels of air pollution.
Authorities also detected red levels at a few locations in Upper Northeast.
According to the Pollution Control Department, the dense smog in the affected regions was due to forest fires in the countryside, many hotspots in neighboring countries, and the stagnant air over the area.
In Chiang Rai, locals demanded that the authorities take urgent action to tackle air pollution after more than 3,400 people were treated for respiratory conditions between March 19th and 26th.
The Pollution Control Department warned that air pollution would remain severe in the North until next Tuesday.
