Chiang Mai residents to hold ‘right to breathe’ rally

The rally, which is called the “Right to Breathe Gathering,” has been organised by Citylife Chiang Mai Magazine and will take place at 5pm at Tha Pae Gate.
Those taking part are asked to wear an air pollution mask to highlight the seriousness of the situation.
“Grab your mask and bring your friends and family and let’s have our voices heard,” the magazine said.
“We all have the right to breathe. This is a gathering organised by concerned citizens of Chiang Mai with no political agenda but wanting to plead with the authorities to please provide air-quality information to the public following WHO standards.
“We will be handing a letter to both the governor and the mayor, although there will be no ceremony at the event itself. It will be a casual gathering and we hope that with the press we’ve invited also being there, our message will be heard by those who need to hear it.”
A petition containing the signatures of all its supporters will be added to an open letter to Chiang Mia governor Prawin Champrasart, Muang Chiang Mai mayor Tassanai Buranupakorn, and Chiang Mai Provincial Administrative Organization Boonlert Buranupakorn to draw their attention to the air pollution problem.
The open letter posted by the magazine stated that the three would be asked to consider the following:
1. We humbly request that the Government of Thailand immediately adopt the World Health Organisation Standard for the identification of dangerous levels of particulate matter for both PM 10 and PM 2.5. These levels should be at a level of 50 µg/m3 for PM 10 and 25 µg/m3 for PM 2.5 for a 24-hour mean with an appropriate annual measurement.
2. We humbly request that the Government of Thailand publishes PM 2.5 readings alongside PM 10 readings in all official announcements and makes PM 2.5 data easier to access by the general public. We also urge the government to urgently install, with international assistance if necessary, more monitoring stations in Chiang Mai city and other regional centres and rural centres, to monitor both PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels.
3. We humbly request that the Provincial, City and National Governments work together to prepare appropriate warning systems and information for communities when the PM 2.5 and PM 10 standards are exceeded. This should include the distribution of effective masks (such as 3M N95). This information should reflect the potential harm to human health, in particular to children, the elderly and other vulnerable people, as well as the danger to the environment.