CHIANG MAI: A total of 2,201 hotspots were detected across the North on Tuesday, most of them in conservation forests, the Region 3 centre for prevention and mitigation of air pollution reported on Wednesday.
Of the total, 1,388 hotspots were in the upper part of the region and 813 in the lower North.
The provinces with the highest number of hotspots were Tak (495), Uttaradit (237), Nan (212), Phrae (190) and Lampang (181). There were 1,214 in conservation forests, 783 in reserved forests and 25 in agricultural land reform areas.
The number of combined hotspots in the North during the past three months (Dec 1- Feb 28) was 31,971, compared to 13,351 during the same period in 2022, and 33,430 in 2021.
The hotspots are a major factor in raising PM2.5 levels above the government-set safe level of 50 microgrammes per cubic metre in most northern provinces.
On its Facebook page, Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (Gistda) on Wednesday posted that Satellite Suomi NPP detected a total of 3,768 hotspots cross the country on Feb 28, the highest since Jan 1.The five provinces with the highest number of hotspots were Kanchanaburi (577), Tak (495), Uttaradit (237), Nan 212) and Phrae (190).
Thailand had the most hotspots in the region, followed by Laos (3,370), Myanmar (2,809), Cambodia (2,758) and Vietnam (732). Most hotspots in Thailand were in conversation forests ( 1,937), national forest reserves (1,043), agricultural areas (271), community areas (271), agricultural land reform areas (219) and along highways (18) on Feb 28, according to Gistda.
