About 1,700 people have gone to court in Chiang Mai city over continued severe air pollution in northern Thailand. In their class action lawsuit, they accuse Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and two government agencies of not doing enough to stop the deforestation responsible for the toxic smog.
The accusers include activists, academics and many concerned citizens concerned about their health, the Bangkok Post newspaper reported Tuesday. In the statistics of the cities with the worst air pollution in the world (IQAir), Chiang Mai has been at the top several times recently. On Tuesday, the temple city, which is also popular with tourists, ranked third behind Beijing and Delhi.
Slash and burn causes smog
The reason for the extreme smog that has persisted for weeks is slash and burn in Thailand, but especially in neighboring countries such as Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Particularly at the end of the dry season, farmers set fire to their fields to rid them of undergrowth and weeds. Sugarcane fields, on the other hand, are burned so that the harvesters can better see where to cut the cane.
That is why there are often high levels of particulate matter, especially between January and April. Authorities in Thailand banned burning in 2019 to control dangerous fine smoke particles, but the law is often circumvented. The plaintiffs accuse the government and the National Environmental Agency of failing to do enough to enforce the demands.
burden for millions of people
Rangsarit Kanchanawanit, of Chiang Mai University’s medical school, said pollution increases the risk of lung cancer, heart disease and stroke and shortens life expectancy by four to five years. “We want the government to change policies, show strong political will and not just take into account capitalist groups,” he said. “That could save millions of people from disease.”
Source: Krone
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