Nida Poll: Costs rise for northerners as they struggle with smoke haze

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People in the North are being hit by additional costs as they struggle with the ongoing haze crisis even as more forest fires erupted in some areas of the north yesterday.

A Nida Poll survey of 1,253 respondents shows that nearly 57% of respondents are having to bear additional costs to protect themselves from the pollution. It was not revealed how much more they had to spend.

The survey was held on April 4 to 5. About 43% say they did not have to spend anything extra to take care of themselves. The poll also found that 36% of the respondents say they were seriously affected by the problem, while only 9% per cent said they were unaffected.

About 60% say they were allergic to the haze, with some suffering from colds and runny nose, while 49% say they faced respiratory difficulties. About 48% said they had sore eyes.

Nearly 84% say they had used facemasks to protect themselves and 29% say they preferred to stay at home.

Meanwhile, the Pollution Control Department yesterday tried to downplay the situation while forest fires kept erupting in several areas.

PCD director-general Pralong Damrongthai said that as of 9am yesterday, the concentration of fine dust particles (PM2.5 microns) had reduced in several areas compared to the previous day. The overall air quality had improved to moderately fine to health-affecting.

Three areas in Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai were severely affected by the haze during the past weeks and were identified as the most dangerous for health. The concentration of PM 2.5 microns in 24 hours were measured at 47 to 123 micrograms per cubic metre, still exceeding the safety limit of 50mcg.

From Chiang Rai to Mae Hong Son, new forest fires still erupted along the mountain ridges bordering Thailand and Myanmar and parts of Laos.