Thailand
Thick air in Chiang Mai: extreme smog in tourist town
The world-famous temple city of Chiang Mai once again ranked at the top of the list of cities with the most polluted air in the world. photo
© Wichai Taprieu/AP/dpa
Chiang Mai is considered one of the most beautiful cities in Thailand. But not at a certain time of year – because then it languishes under a blanket of smog. Now it’s that time again.
Thick air in northern Thailand: the world-famous temple city Chiang Mai once again ranked at the top of the list of cities with the most air pollution in the world on Friday – well ahead of Kathmandu and Beijing. The air quality was classified as “very unhealthy” by the Swiss company IQAir. The “Rose of the North”, popular with tourists from all over the world, has been shrouded in a toxic haze for days, as the newspaper “Khaosod” reported.
The reason for the extremely harmful fine dust levels is primarily slash-and-burn agriculture in Thailand, but also in neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. At the end of the dry season, farmers burn their fields to clear them of brush and weeds. Extreme air pollution has therefore often occurred between January and March for years.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin promised in January to address the problem with new laws – so far without success. The Thai Enquirer newspaper recently wrote that it was time to declare a national emergency because of the persistent smog. The head of government was expected in Chiang Mai on Friday afternoon (local time) to get an idea of the situation.