Chiang Mai city in northern Thailand is covered in smog (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-chavisited some northern areas of this country on April 2 to examine local airpollution.
He visited the city of Chiang Mai, a renownedtourist destination that has been hit by prolonged smog recently, and the cityof Chiang Rai, the venue of the ASEAN Finance Ministers’ and Central BankGovernors’ Meeting this week.
The PM said he had ordered relevant agencies toalleviate the problem within seven days, starting with 1,900 targeted areasacross nine provinces.
He added that the government has given outnearly 2 million masks to residents in the area.
Government data shows that the air quality indexin Chiang Rai reached levels considered unhealthy at 240 to 250.
The Climate Change Data Centre at Chiang MaiUniversity said the smog problem in the nine northern provinces is due todrought and more illegal burning in forests.
About 300 officials are expected to attend theASEAN meeting in Chiang Rai this week. A senior official of the Thai Ministryof Finance said the country has prepared face masks for the participants, butit does not have any current plans to change the meeting venue or schedules.–VNA
Air pollution has forced the suspension of classes at private schools across Bangkok this week, though the Pollution Control Department (PCD) on January 23 reported fewer areas with unsafe levels of PM2.5 – airborne particulates 2.5 microns in diameter and smaller.
Thailand will not cancel the 23rd ASEAN Finance Ministers’ Meeting in Chiang Rai this week despite severe air pollution in the north in the past few days, Lavaron Sangsnit, director-general of the Fiscal Policy Office, said on March 31.
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Chiang Mai city in northern Thailand is covered in smog (Photo: AFP/VNA) 
