Thailand’s Chiang Mai residents are taking legal action against the annual dense smog that blankets their region and shortens their lives by five years. On Monday, April 10, about 1,700 people filed a lawsuit in the Administrative Court against Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, the National Environmental Board, and the Securities and Exchange Commission for failing to address the air pollution problem in the North, reported Bangkok Post. The lawsuit was brought by a group of activists, academics from Chiang Mai University, and local residents who blamed contract farming for the devastating air pollution. The action by the residents came after Chiang Mai was ranked the world’s most polluted city last week after PM 2.5 level was recorded to be 66 times more than the World Health Organization’s annual guideline.
According to the plaintiffs, the National Environmental Board has not adequately executed the 2019 national strategy to combat particulate matter pollution.
Last week, the plaintiffs gathered support from 727 people who signed their names in person and about 980 people who did so online. The approximately 1700 plaintiffs in the class action are determined to hold the authorities accountable for their inaction. Dr Rangsarit Kanchanawanit from the faculty of medicine at Chiang Mai University warned that the unsafe levels of PM2.5, which are 2.5 micrometres or less in diameter, are causing serious health problems for people in urban areas. Pollution raises the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke, and shortens people’s lifespans by 4-5 years. The portal quoted him as saying, “We want to see the government change its policies, to show a strong political will and not just be considerate towards capitalist groups. This could save millions of people from illness."
According to Chatchawal Thongdeelert, a member of the Breath Council, the problem of PM2.5 has been getting worse every year, and the government must implement short and long-term solutions to reduce air pollution. He believes that burning, whether in forests or maize plantations, is the root cause of the problem and that the government needs to prioritize this issue and come up with effective solutions. He also emphasized the importance of political parties and the new government taking action on this issue to ensure the health and well-being of the people.
One of the plaintiffs, Sumitchai Hatthasan, director of the Centre for Protection and Revival of Local Community Rights, accused the prime minister of failing to fully exercise his power under the Enhancement and Conservation of National Environmental Quality Act to solve the problem. With the plaintiffs united in their cause, it remains to be seen whether the government will take action to tackle the smog problem in Chiang Mai.
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