CityNews – Another meeting to discuss smog preventions and solutions was held at the Chiang Mai University’s Academic Service Centre (UNISERV CMU), focusing on the main cause of smog and how to prevent it next year.
All who attended the meeting, chaired by Chiang Mai Governor Suriya Prasatbandit, agreed that the main cause of smog was the burning of agricultural waste, especially corn, after the harvest season is over.
The meeting aimed to kickstart operations and public information programs in preparation for next year, including greater exchange of information, finding obstacles and overcoming them, setting up guidelines and assigning tasks to real organisations and farmers to help prevent burning.
A budget has been planned to cover the costs.
Chiang Mai’s Mae Chaem district is famed for its corn farms, and focus on this area will be key to prevent smog next year.
“Planting Without Burning” solutions will be formed as soon as possible, with action plans and meetings scheduled for next week.
Zoning rules and time rules will also be issued to allow burning over certain periods of the year, in effect spreading out the amount of burning, reducing the amount of pollution during the traditional burning season.
According to Pornsin Patcharintanakun, the president of Thai Feed Mill Association, cooperation between the association and farmers needs to be established to prevent burning.
He suggested that the Department of Agriculture should create stronger laws to prevent mass burning.
He also suggest that if farmers want to sell their products to his association, there must be no burning during the farming process.
This rule would extend to companies or farmers abroad who also import produce to Thailand.