CHIANG MAI: A bright orange helicopter races over the jungle to dump water on a raging wildfire that is adding to the air pollution choking Thailand’s northern tourist hub of Chiang Mai.
Chutaphorn Phuangchingngam, the only female captain in Thailand’s national disaster prevention team, draws on two decades of flying to steer the Russian-made chopper through the thick smoke.
Forest fires are burning in several areas of northern Thailand, contributing to the annual spike in air pollution that comes with farmers burning stubble to prepare their land for the next crop.
Chiang Mai had the sixth worst air quality of any major city in the world on Thursday (Mar 27) morning, according to monitor IQAir, and the city governor has warned residents against staying outdoors.
Chutaphorn told AFP the dense forest and hilly terrain made helicopters the best tool to fight the blazes.
“We use (helicopters) to put out fire in areas that are difficult to reach, especially in the mountains,” she said.
Chutaphorn and her six-member crew flew over Huai Bok reservoir, collecting 3,000 litres of water each time before heading 2km to the fire zone, spread across more than 1.6ha.
Northern Thailand is the latest area around the world to suffer significant wildfires, after South Korea – currently battling its biggest on record – as well as Japan and California.
While the causes of forest fires can be complex, climate change can make them more likely by creating hotter, drier weather that leaves undergrowth more prone to catching light.
As well as damaging important forests, the fires are fuelling Thailand’s anxieties about air pollution, which causes millions of people to need medical treatment each year.
