Khon Kaen faces its second week of crippling air pollution
The north-eastern hub of Khon Kaen heads into a new week still struggling with heavy air pollution that has persisted over the past week.
The Air Quality Index peaked at 206 yesterday. All the readings in the region were well beyond safe limits.
Smoke haze has also enveloped the main city, Chum Phae, Mancha Khiri, Kranuan, Ubol Rattana and Phra Yuen districts of Khon Kaen
Khon Kaen Governor Somsak Changtragul says, “We are now spraying water in all 26 districts to help ease the problem.”
The provincial government has resorted to the highly visible but largely useless water spraying tactics that were used at the height of Bangkok’s smog problems two seeks ago.
The Governor all says that action will be taken against farmers burning off weeds in their sugarcane fields.
“We have asked factories to blacklist farmers who bring in sugarcane that shows burn marks, a sign that the farmer set fire to his field at a time when the air pollution is serious.”
Planes from the Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation Department have also arrived in Khon Kaen to help artificially seed clouds to help produce rain.
Other provinces are also suffering with air pollution, the worst hit being Chon Buri, Nan, Uttaradit and Loei.
This morning Khon Kaen’s AQI reading is 170 making the air quality ‘unhealthy’ for residents.
