HAT YAI, Thailand – Residents in Hat Yai are being advised to wear masks during outdoor activities as haze from Indonesia has pushed PM2.5 levels in the southern city to levels that could affect public health. The Air Pollution and Health Effect Research Centre at Prince of Songkla University reported that a plume of smoke from Indonesia moved into Hat Yai district of Songkhla province this morning.

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At 8.10am, PM2.5 concentrations reached 89.0 microgrammes per cubic metre, according to the centre. Hat Yai Municipality reported PM2.5 readings at three monitoring stations at 8.30am, with the station at the Hat Yai Municipal Office recording 76.0µg/m³ while the reading at Jiranakorn Stadium was 72.7µg/m³. A third station, 44T in the Phru Mae Son area, recorded a 24-hour average PM2.5 concentration of 13.7µg/m³.

The research centre said numerous hotspots had been detected on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, with winds continuing to carry smoke from the fires towards Hat Yai. The haze episode is part of a recurring seasonal problem in the region, where land-clearing fires in Indonesia during the dry season send transboundary smoke across Southeast Asia, affecting air quality in Malaysia, Singapore and southern Thailand.

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Residents have been urged to monitor air quality updates and take precautions, particularly those with respiratory conditions, while local authorities continue to assess the situation and consider additional measures if pollution levels persist or worsen.

-Thailand News (TN)