A Thai Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) personnel on a firefighting helicopter inspects fire spots to drop water to combat forest fires over Mae On district in the northern Thai province of Chiang Mai on March 26, 2025. Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA / AFP
Bangkok: The Thai government is strengthening wildfire response efforts by using satellite technology to detect and contain fires more quickly, as wildfires intensified across northern and western Thailand.
According to Deputy Government Spokesperson Lalida Periswiwatana, the approach was recently applied in Sri Lanna National Park in Chiang Mai's Mae Taeng district, where satellite data identified multiple hotspots in a remote forest area. Officials deployed teams on foot due to difficult terrain, reaching the site hours later and bringing the fire under control.
Data from Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency indicated that Thailand recorded 4,656 hotspots on Thursday based on satellite data. Of those, 2,697 were found in conservation forest areas, and 1,206 in national reserved forests.
"The government prioritizes leveraging technology to enhance field operations, in order to make firefighting more effective even in hard-to-reach areas, reduce environmental impact, and protect public health, especially during PM2.5 pollution crisis," said Lalida.
Thailand's Pollution Control Department reported on Friday that PM2.5 levels had exceeded the standard in 40 provinces, with the north and northeast facing the most severe conditions.
