Thai authorities yesterday urged people in the northern city of Chiang Mai to stay indoors and work from home as air pollution spiked to hazardous levels.
Smoke from forest fires and farmers burning crop stubble has blanketed the popular tourist destination in recent weeks.
Yesterday morning, the air monitoring website IQAir ranked Chiang Mai as the most polluted major city in the world.
Photo: AFP
Levels of the most dangerous particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5) — so tiny they can enter the bloodstream — were more than 66 times the WHO’s annual guideline, IQAir said.
Chiang Mai Province Governor Nirat Pongsittitavorn issued a statement urging people to stay indoors and work from home to “protect themselves and reduce the health impact” from PM2.5 particles.
Thailand has been choking on a spike in air pollution since the start of the year, caused in part by seasonal agricultural burning.
Nearly 2 million people have needed hospital treatment for respiratory conditions caused by air pollution this year, the Thai Ministry of Public Health said.
Officials had warned Bangkok residents to stay indoors and work from home in February as the capital was covered with harmful haze.
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