The Department of Disaster Prevention and
Mitigation is stepping up campaigns for fire fighting and effective disaster
management to control both forest fires and fire accidents in factories and
shopping complexes.
Director-General of the Department of Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation Chatchai Phromlert said that the Cabinet had
designated 2014 the year for campaigns against fire disasters.
He cited the dry season each year, from January
to April, as the critical period for forest fires and haze pollution in
Thailand. Nine provinces in the North, in particular, face the haze problem
caused by forest fires during this period. They include Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai,
Lampang, Lamphun, Mae Hong Son, Phayao, Nan, Phrae, and Tak.
In preparation for controlling forest fires in
65 vulnerable provinces, the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
is joining forces with relevant agencies in the campaigns for fire fighting.
Emphasis is placed on proactive measures to urge local people to avoid burning
in communities and farmland during the critical period. Comprehensive
management and unified operations to deal with the situation will be focused
upon, together with the application of information technology to combat forest
fires and haze pollution.
As for the rehabilitation approach to the
situation, Mr. Chatchai said that haze-hit provinces were told to declare
emergency areas in case of severe situations. They were also urged to ease this
problem in accordance with local geographical features in order to bring the
problem under control with greater efficiency.
In kicking off the campaigns at the district
level on 6 February 2016 in Mueang district of Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai Governor
Wichien Puthiwinyoo stated that the fight against forest fires had been included
in the province’s agenda. He said that the haze pollution problem caused not
only health hazards, but also damage to the local economy and tourism.
Thailand has signed a memorandum of
understanding with Myanmar for cooperation in combating haze pollution. It also
called for enhancing ASEAN cooperation in integrated weather forecasting and
increasing the region’s fire-fighting capacity in order to mitigate haze
pollution.
As for efforts to cope with fire accidents, the
Director-General of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation said
that fire accidents were caused mainly by complacency and carelessness.
Thailand suffers a loss of more than 1.1 billion baht a year from fire
accidents. The Department is working in an integrated manner with all relevant
agencies in preventing fire accidents in households, factories, cinemas,
shopping complexes, high-rise buildings, and various tourism sites.
It requires workplaces to conduct fire drills on
a regular basis. Strict measures have also been imposed requiring them to check
fire-fighting equipment for effective disaster management.
(thailand.prd.go.th)