BANGKOK, Thailand – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suchart Chomklin has ordered tougher forest-fire and haze-prevention measures as cold, dry weather increases fire risk across most of the country, excluding the South. He said the conditions have dried vegetation in forest areas, increasing the likelihood of fires and PM2.5 pollution that could harm public health.
Suchart instructed the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, and related agencies to maintain intensive surveillance and prevention efforts. Authorities have established 3,895 forest fire surveillance posts nationwide, including 2,082 in 14 high-risk forest groups in the North, supported by continuous patrols to detect fires and stop illegal burning.
Officials are also stepping up community outreach in high-risk areas through door-to-door visits, seeking cooperation from residents near forest zones in 17 northern provinces. Agreements with local communities are in place to strengthen prevention networks, while personnel from forestry agencies, the military, residents, and volunteers are working together with support from drones and helicopters.
Controlled fuel management operations are conducted during suitable periods, with advance coordination among agencies. From October 1, 2025, to the present, authorities have recorded 8,443 hotspots nationwide, including 1,536 in forest areas. On Jan. 12 alone, 70 hotspots were detected, 15 of them in forest areas.
Data show hotspots in conservation forest areas fell to 192 this year, down from 344 in the same period last year, a 44.19% decrease. Suchart called on agencies to sustain operations throughout the fire season and urged the public to help monitor conditions and report illegal burning through the 24-hour hotline 1362. (NNT)
