The Cabinet, during its meeting on 28 January 2025, approved 620.7 million baht from the central fund for use to combat forest fires, haze, and PM 2.5 dust pollution, following a proposal submitted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Out of the fund, 187 million baht will be allocated to the Royal Forest Department and 433.7 million baht to the National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Department.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment indicated that the PM 2.5 dust situation is worsening, and the high levels of PM 2.5 can be harmful to people’s health. Part of the dust sources comes from forest fires in the North and the Northeast of the country.

The ministry has joined forces with all sectors in dealing with the situation. It stated that the 620.7-million-baht fund approved by the Cabinet would be used to hire villagers to extinguish forest fires and acquire equipment for the Royal Forest Department and the National Parks, Wildlife, and Plant Conservation Department, which have been working with local administrative organizations, to tackle this problem.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives has imposed a ban on burning in all agricultural areas. Any farmer found defying the ban will be disqualified from receiving financial assistance from the Government. The ban will be effective from 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2026. The ministry will also conduct rainmaking operations to deal with hazardous dust in the air.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been working with other ASEAN partners in enhancing regional technical cooperation to address transboundary haze. It has also received good cooperation from Laos, Myanmar, and Cambodia for joint efforts to fight transboundary smoke.

According to the Ministry of Transport, a survey shows that the free services on public buses and electric trains offered by the Government has reduced the amount of traffic on Bangkok’s roads by 500,000 vehicles a day. The free services, which began on 25 January and will end on 31 January, are part of urgent measures to address the high levels of dust in Bangkok and its vicinity.