Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said yesterday (Jan 28) said that the Cabinet meeting approved the B620mn fund to deal with forest fires and toxic smog this year, as proposed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
She had given instructions that agencies use it wisely, reports the Bangkok Post.
During the weekly meeting, the Cabinet considered measures to manage PM2.5 pollution. The Ministry of Interior had ordered all provincial governors to deal with the disaster and to ban the burning of crop trash, Ms Paetongtarn said.
The ministry was also cooperating closely with security agencies, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to ensure full readiness to fight forest fires.
The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security had been instructed to care for vulnerable groups.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives would watch for the burning of crop trash in all agricultural areas. Those found defying the ban on burning off would be disqualified from receiving financial assistance from the government.
The burning ban was effective from June 1 this year to May 31 next year. Rainmaking would be carried out to reduce the amount of hazardous dust in the air, Ms Paetongtarn said.
The Transport Ministry’s current campaign, free travel on public buses and electric trains, had reduced the amount of traffic on Bangkok’s roads by 500,000 vehicles a day, according to the prime minister.
The Industry Ministry had sought cooperation from factories and the association of sugarcane farmers, asking they reduce the amount of cane bought from fields that are burned by 25% per day.
The ministry had given emphasis to this measure, which efficiently reduced sugarcane burning by 10% a day, the prime minister said.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry was working with Asean in seeking regional cooperation to tackle the haze problem, Ms Paetongtarn said.
The prime minister rejected claims by Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the leader of the Progressive Movement, that the government kept issuing orders about tackling PM2.5 dust pollution but did not follow up on them. She said all ministries had closely monitored the implementation of the measures.