Chiang Rai Province to Use Geo-Informatics and Space Technology to Combat Forest Fires

CHIANG RAI – Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) has joined hands with Chiang Rai province to set up Pracharat teams in bid to prevent forest fires with the use of disaster reporting technology.

Chiang Rai District Chief Prasert Chitpleecheep presided over the opening ceremony for the Pracharat forest fire and haze prevention campaign.

The campaign was organized out of the awareness on the increasingly severe disasters which needs to be addressed using a proper reporting technology, and encourage the general public to participate.

Some 130 local volunteers and officials in forest fire hazard areas, including provincial seat area, Pan, Mae Saruay, Wiang Pa Pao, Mae Lao, and Wiang Chai districts have attended the training program where GISDA staff introduced the use of Forest Fire and DPM Reporter applications to effectively report such incidents to government agencies.

The cooperation is expected to cover nine province reportedly prone to forest fires in the northern region, namely Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Hong Son, Tak, Lamphun, Lampang, Payao, Prae, and Nan.

Meanwhile, Amid ‘very dangerous’ air pollution, children and elderly were told to stay inside in Chiang Mai Province.

The level of particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) in many provinces of the northern region, especially in Chiang Mai, continued to rise yesterday to 100 microrams per cubic metre of air by 6am, as measured by the Pollution Control Department (PCD).

The prolonged period of haze problem in the North, which dragged on beyond Songkran Festival, was considered to have been caused by the increasing number of hotspots after the burning ban ended in Northern provinces on April 20.