Chiang Mai ranks first out of the world's ten most polluted cities based on today's Air Quality Index (AQI) readings.
As per the IQAir website, Chiang Mai has an AQI reading of 200, followed by Tashkent at 193, Lahore at 154, Beijing at 160, Wuhan at 157, Yangon at 155, New Delhi at 154, Dubai at 154, Hang Zhou at 153, and Calcutta at 151.
The Pollution Control Department of Thailand announced today that the level of PM2.5 dust in eight northern provinces, including Chiang Mai, has reached the Red level, with the reading in Chiang Mai at 130.9µg/m³. The other affected provinces are Phayao, Nan, Lampang, Lamphun, Chiang Rai, Phrae, and Mae Hong Son.
At the moment, a NASA research team is in Thailand conducting four days of aerial surveys on air pollution in collaboration with the Geo-Informatics and Space Development Agency of the Thai Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovations.
In U-Tapao airport, two NASA aircraft are currently stationed for the purpose of surveying atmospheric pollution, with a focus on Chiang Mai and Bangkok.
Similar missions have been carried out in the Philippines, Taiwan, and South Korea, with local media invited to observe the NASA research team's operations.
