Chiang Mai: Many agencies are preparing to deal with PM 2.5 toxic dust in the North. In Chiang Mai, 38 agencies are mobilizing to jointly create a 5-year action plan to control dust levels to not exceed the standard for 50 days per year, reduce the number of patients, and reduce the number of hot spots from burning to no more than 4,000. The North will be safe and dust-free within 2 years.
According to Thai News Agency, the National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Office (NSTI) and its network partners organized a workshop to develop a 5-year PM 2.5 problem-solving plan in Chiang Mai through research, innovation and partner mechanisms in Chiang Mai.
Mr. Nirat Phongsitthaworn, Chiang Mai Governor, joined the discussion and set measures to stop burning in Chiang Mai Province, which is the key to solving the PM 2.5 dust problem, along with bringing research and innovation to help provide knowledge on how to dispose of agricultural waste instead of burning it.
While Dr. Siriruk Songsivilai, Chairman of the National Science, Technology and Innovation Policy Committee (NSTI), said that the budget for solving the PM 2.5 dust problem in fiscal year 2025 has been allocated at 450 million baht from Chiang Mai to cover 8 provinces in the upper northern region. It is expected that an additional budget of 450 million baht will be allocated in the following year, totaling 900 million baht in 2 years, to drive Thailand to be safe from PM 2.5 dust. Initially, a 3-step action plan was developed: the number of days that PM 2.5 dust exceeds the standard must not exceed 50 days per year, and the number of COPD patients admitted for the first time due to dust must not exceed 1,000 people per year, and the number of hotspots from burning or unauthorized hotspots must be reduced to no more than 4,000 points per year.
Meanwhile, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sompong Klaynongsruang, Director of NRCT, confirmed that solving the toxic dust crisis must use research and innovation to support the research. Within this January, the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) is preparing to install the ACSM device or the PM 2.5 chemical composition detector to find the source and analyze the root cause of the PM 2.5 toxic dust at the right point.
It will be installed in 3 areas: Chiang Mai, Bangkok and Songkhla within this year. I am confident that if there is serious cooperation, the PM 2.5 problem will be seen more clearly and the problem will be reduced in the next 2 years.