Laotian Times-12 Dec 2017
In an effort to control the cross-border smog caused by illegal forest fires, Laos has teamed up with Thailand and Myanmar to address the damage it has contributed to the environment and its poor air quality.
Thailand’s Natural Resources and Environment Minister addressed the topic at a meeting earlier in the week, stating that illegal brush fires pose a threat to the air quality of Laos, Thailand and Myanmar.
With all three countries plagued by forest fires, the meeting discussed measures on how to efficiently prevent and eliminate the issue of forest devastation and haze caused by wildfires in the North, calling on tighter border cooperation between the countries.
Illegal deforestation generally occurs Laos in the countryside of these countries due to the ‘slash and burn’ method- a method that farmers utilize to eliminate large acres of forest area in order to clear land for agriculture.
Technologies of the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency are being used to predict and prevent forest fires.
A forest fire prevention plan has been put in place by the Pollution Control Department, with the purpose of keeping a close watch on illegal brush fires beginning February, 2018.
