Thailand to tackle transboundary haze as pollution worsens

Northern Thailand has had some of the world’s worst air pollution levels in recent weeks. In Chiang Mai, the air quality index measuring particulate matter (PM2.5) remained above 300 for two weeks from March 25th—20 times the upper limit recommended by the World Health Organisation. Given the transnational nature of the issue, the Thai prime minister, Prayuth Chan‑ocha, held talks on April 7th with his counterparts from Laos and Myanmar to discuss joint measures to alleviate the problem.

Air pollution, which typically peaks in Thailand during the dry season (November-February) and sometimes extends into April, is a major economic and public health issue. The main cause is slash-and-burn farming, exacerbated by forest fires. The problem has recurred and worsened in recent years, coinciding with the spread of commercial farming, under which, for example, large agricultural producers commission local farmers to produce cash crops for animal feed. The farmers who work on larger projects resort to slash-and-burn farming to clear their land quickly to prepare it for the next crop.

The problem that Thailand currently faces is similar to the haze pollution that affected Singapore in the 2010s, which originated from commercial farming on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Singapore had to seek Indonesia’s help to tackle the problem. The cost of air pollution is enormous, according to a study by the local Kasetsart University, which put it at about Bt2trn (US$60.2bn) or more than 10% of GDP, through negative effects on the economy and public health such as loss of output, income and premature death.

Air pollution is also increasingly curbing tourism revenue during Thailand’s high season. Hotel occupancy in Chiang Mai, the country’s third-biggest city and a popular tourist destination, was just 45% ahead of the important Thai New Year holiday, compared with the usual level of 80% during the same period.

With a general election looming on May 14th, the government and some political parties have been nudged into taking a stance on the issue of air pollution. In practice, very little has happened to address the haze problems of recent years.

Better awareness and a more coordinated effort between Thailand, Laos and Myanmar to tackle the problem of haze is a good start, but it will not lead to a speedy solution to the problem, given the low government effectiveness in Laos and Myanmar. Thailand will raise the issue of transboundary haze to be taken up at the next meeting of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) in May. The problem will recur during the dry season and will continue to cause economic and health problems, in northern Thailand in particular, for the foreseeable future.

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