Bangkok: The Department of Highways is proactively preparing a comprehensive plan to manage wildfires and avert haze in highway areas.
According to Thai News Agency, the Department of Rural Roads is also formulating strategies to tackle wildfires and prevent haze in road regions. This initiative includes reviewing measures to mitigate the impact of PM2.5 dust. The department is also inspecting its vehicles to improve the quality of life for residents in the affected zones.
Mr. Pichit Hunsiri, Director-General of the Department of Rural Roads, disclosed that the department has devised a plan to address forest fires and has reassessed measures to lessen the impact of PM2.5 dust. He stressed the necessity of inspecting agency vehicles to diminish environmental impact, enhance public health, improve quality of life, ensure safe driving conditions, and reduce road accidents. As part of the forest fire and haze response plan, Mr. Hunsiri directed Rural Road Offices, District Rural Roads, and Rural Road Maintenance Sections to consistently monitor the rural road network, manage roadside weeds, prevent weed burning in rural road areas, and place public awareness signs in road areas to educate the public on forest fire and haze prevention. They are also tasked with preparing personnel and equipment for immediate response to roadside fires and collaborating with relevant agencies to control the situation swiftly.
For ongoing road construction projects managed by the Department of Rural Roads, contractors and supervisors have been ordered to increase the frequency of watering to minimize dust in construction zones. Furthermore, DRR offices and regional offices across the nation are inspecting exhaust emissions from machinery and vehicles to ensure they do not exceed permissible levels of exhaust fumes and particulate matter. They are also checking machinery conditions, banning the use of machinery that emits black smoke, avoiding the use of used engine oil, and ensuring regular oil changes with suitable grades to reduce pollution from operations.
The Department of Rural Roads urges public cooperation in these efforts. Residents who encounter wildfires or burning of weeds in rural highway areas are encouraged to report the incidents or seek assistance from the Department of Rural Roads, Regional Rural Road Offices, and Rural Roads Development Offices, or by contacting the Department of Rural Roads hotline at 1146.