Southern
Thailand was hit Thursday by the most severe haze from forest fires in
Indonesia, forcing all schools in a province to close and disrupting flights in
a popular tourist area, officially said.
The haze that has shrouded parts of Malaysia and Singapore for nearly two
months reached hazardous levels in the southern Thai city of Songkhla, with the
pollution index hitting a record-high reading of 365. A reading of 101-200 is
unhealthy, 201-300 is very unhealthy and above 300 is hazardous.
“This is a crisis,” said Halem Jemarican, head of the Southern Environment
Office. He said the pollution index in southern Thailand has never exceeded 300
before.
Halem said his office has worked with other authorities to have all schools in
Songkhla province send students home and all outdoor sports stadiums to close
temporarily. Warnings have been issued to vulnerable people such as children,
the elderly and people with illnesses not to go out of their homes.
“The wind speed is very low this year in the south, causing haze to stay in our
skies longer,” Halem said by telephone.
An airport official in Hat Yai, a popular tourist area, said three flights
bound for Bangkok were delayed Thursday morning because of the haze. A flight
from Bangkok to Hat Yai was diverted to Surat Thani on Wednesday evening. The
official declined to be identified because of working rules.
Local media reported that cloud seeding has been discussed as a way to dispel
the haze in southern Thailand, which is hundreds of kilometers (miles) from
the forest fires in Indonesia's Sumatra island.
Southern Thailand boasts tropical beaches popular among tourists in Surat Thani
and Phuket, two of the seven provinces suffering from the haze.
(Source: www.voanews.com)
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