Dr. Chalermchai, MNRE Minister, Addresses Senate Inquiry, Stresses the Need for Strict Measures and Collaborative Efforts from All Sectors, Covering Forests, Agriculture, and Urban Areas, to Tackle the PM2.5 Dust Issue

On January 27, 2025, at 12:00 PM, Dr. Chalermchai Sri-on, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), addressed an urgent verbal inquiry regarding the impact of toxic dust on public health. The inquiry was raised by Senator Soonthorn Pruekpipat during the 9th Senate Meeting (Second Ordinary Session), on behalf of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. The session, chaired by Senate President Mongkol Surasajja, occurred in the Chantra Meeting Room at the Parliament Building in Bangkok.

Dr. Chalermchai emphasized that tackling PM2.5 pollution requires cooperation across all sectors. The government and MNRE have prioritized this issue as a national agenda and have implemented proactive measures, including establishing the Air Pollution Management Steering Committee, chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong. Additionally, three levels of operational task forces have been set up: (1) national, (2) regional (for cases involving cross-boundary pollution), and (3) provincial.

On November 8, 2024, a national wildfire prevention and response drill was conducted in protected and reserved forest areas for the 2025 season. Simultaneously, the Northern Wildfire and Haze Control Operations Center was launched in Chiang Mai to prepare for potential wildfires. On November 14, 2024, a high-level meeting was held with Deputy Prime Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, the metropolitan police, the traffic police, and the Department of Land Transport to establish measures for controlling PM2.5 pollution in Bangkok. Key sources of PM2.5 in Bangkok include vehicle emissions, construction activities, industrial operations, agricultural burning, and cross-border haze from neighboring countries.

To combat the PM2.5 crisis, the government has implemented both short-term and long-term measures. Immediate actions include promoting work-from-home policies, waiving fares for electric trains and buses, conducting cloud seeding operations, monitoring air pollution levels, launching an application for reporting open burning incidents, and strictly enforcing regulations against black smoke emissions and unprotected construction sites.

For long-term solutions, MNRE has been tasked with managing conservation and reserved forest areas. Since October 2024, the ministry has implemented a strategic plan to reduce forest fires by 25% compared to 2024.