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Thick smoke from forest fires forced several
airlines to cancel or postpone domestic flights
to Chiang Mai and neighbouring Mae Hong Son
provinces yesterday. Several
flights from Bangkok to Chiang Mai were cancelled
due to thick smoke shrouding northern provinces.
Some Mae Hong Son-bound flights from Bangkok
were delayed.
Sansanee
Chaichiangpin, of the Chiang Mai-based Northern
Meteorological Centre, said the situation
in several northern provinces was getting
worse. Visibility was down to 1,500 metres
in Chiang Mai, 1,000 metres in Chiang Rai
and only 900 metres in Mae Hong Son. Such
poor visibility posed a risk to flights
in and out of the affected provinces, she
said. Satellite images showed thick smoke
has blanketed wide areas in the North, especially
Chiang Mai where bushfires and weed-burning
have been blamed for causing the haze. Forest
fires have also been spotted near remote
northern areas bordering Laos and Burma.
Ms
Sansanee called on residents to stop burning
garbage or weeds as the smoke would hamper
artificial rain-making operations, set to
start this week, which it is hoped will
help tackle the haze.
Some residents of these northern provinces
have complained of respiratory problems
from the smoke.
In Chiang Rai, residents have been staying
indoors as much as possible, due to thick
haze that has been covering large parts
of the province for the past week. People
living in municipal areas have complained
of sore eyes due to the smoke.
Kamolroj
Chiangwong, chief of Chiang Rai's Mae Lao
district, yesterday joined 500 residents
and local leaders in an oath-taking ceremony
swearing they would not cause bushfires.
Forest fires were yesterday reported near
the Burmese town of Tachilek opposite Mae
Sai in Chiang Rai district.
People living along the border have sought
medical treatment for smoke-inflicted ailments
Vichai Thaweepvoradet, mayor of Mae Sai
tambon municipality, said the thick smoke
has badly affected tourism and cross-border
trade between Tachilek and Mae Sai.
Chiang
Rai authorities have threatened to get tough
on anyone found lighting forest fires, with
the situation in the province becoming critical.
So far this year, Chiang Rai has seen the
highest number of forest fires in the country.
From
the Bangkok
Post, 12th March 2007.
Related
pages: Air
Pollution and the Dry Season in Chiang Mai
, Air
Quality improves but Fires still burn
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