On December 13, Thailand witnessed a slight improvement in air quality, with dangerous levels of ultrafine dust (PM2.5) reported in 33 out of 77 provinces, a decrease from 47 provinces the previous day.
According to the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda), five provinces in the Central Plain were under red-alert levels of PM2.5, down from 15 on Tuesday. The highest pollution was in Samut Sakhon, with a PM2.5 concentration of 95.2 microgrammes per cubic meter, exceeding the government’s safe threshold of 37.5g/m.
Twenty-eight other provinces in the Central Plain recorded orange levels of PM2.5, indicating a health risk, with concentrations ranging from 37.7 to 71.9g/m. These included Nakhon Ratchasima, Phichit, and Sa Kaeo, among others. In contrast, 44 provinces, mainly in the North, South, and Northeast, reported safe levels of PM2.5. The lowest concentration, at 9.0g/m, was in Yasothon in the Northeast.
Pansak Thiramongkol, director for air and noise quality management at the Pollution Control Department, attributed the high PM2.5 levels in the Central Plain primarily to burning harvest waste in paddy fields, a common practice to prepare for the next crop. (NNT)
