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 morning, according to monitor IQAir, and the city governor has warned residents against staying outdoors.

“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 two kilometres to the fire zone, spread across more than 1.6 hectares (four acres).

Northern Thailand is the latest area around the world to suffer significant wildfires, after South Korea -- currently battling its biggest on record -- 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.

Smog crisis

Levels of PM2.5 pollutants -- dangerous cancer-causing microparticles small enough to enter the bloodstream through the lungs -- were almost 15 times the World Health Organization’s recommended limit in Chiang Mai on Thursday, according to IQAir.

The government banned crop burning early this year to try to improve air quality, with violators facing fines and legal action, but authorities said the measures have proven ineffective.

“There are still large numbers of farmers who continue to burn their fields,“ said Dusit Pongsapipat, head of the Department of Natural Disaster Prevention and Mitigation in Chiang Mai.

Danaipat Pokavanich, a clean-air advocate involved in drafting the Clean Air Act -- a bill to curb pollution in Thailand -- praised the firefighting efforts but called them a “temporary fix”.

“The law alone won’t stop farmers from burning,“ he said.

He recommended offering financial incentives to encourage sustainable farming practices and investing in technology to reduce the need for burning.

Until then, Chatuphorn and her team remain ready to take to the skies to do their part to clean up the air by putting out forest fires.

“Flying a helicopter for disaster work is different from flying passengers,“ she said, citing limited visibility as a major challenge.

She remains committed to her childhood dream.

“I just wanted to touch the cloud,“ she said, after the helicopter landed. “Though now all I feel is just the smoke.”

JOHOR BARU: The number of flood victims in Johor has dropped to 266 people from 79 families, who are currently housed at two temporary relief centres (PPS) in Batu Pahat.

The Johor Disaster Management Committee said this was a decrease from 405 people from 116 families recorded at 8am on Thursday (March 27).

“As of 6pm, there are still 266 people housed at two PPS. All the victims are from Batu Pahat, as those from Pontian were allowed to return home earlier today,” it said in a statement.

The two remaining PPS are SMK Seri Gading, which shelters 232 people from Kampung Baharu, and SK Sri Comel, which houses 34 people from Kampung Parit Betong.

PETALING JAYA – Kementerian Kerja Raya (KKR) melalui Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran menyokong permohonan peruntukan tambahan bagi membersihkan dan mendalamkan sungai serta parit di daerah Pontian, Johor.

Timbalan Menteri Kerja Raya, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan berkata, permohonan tersebut dikemukan ke Kementerian Peralihan Tenaga dan Transformasi Air (PETRA) termasuk bagi peruntukan penggalian muara-muara sungai dalam daerah Pontian.

Johor Bahru: "Malu sebenarnya nak minta tolong, tapi saya terpaksa kerana tinggal sehelai sepinggang selepas banjir besar tempoh hari."

Itu kata mangsa banjir, Wan Md Rosanizal Wan Hasan, 50, ketika menceritakan kisahnya yang tiada pilihan melainkan memohon bantuan orang ramai menerusi satu hantaran di Facebook (Fb).

Dalam hantaran itu, Wan Md Rosanizal memohon sesiapa yang sudi menyumbang pakaian buat anaknya untuk dipakai ketika hari raya nanti, selain tikar, selimut dan tilam selepas tidak sempat menyelamatkan barangan keperluan apabila rumahnya dinaiki air pada 20 Mac lalu.

Bercerita lanjut, kawasan rumahnya di Kampung Pasir, dekat sini, mudah banjir setiap kali hujan, namun kejadian terbaru tempoh hari adalah yang terburuk pernah dialaminya.

"Tapi syukur kami sekeluarga selamat, cuma barang rumah seperti peti ais rosak, periuk nasi yang baru beli pun hilang, begitu juga beras dan gula yang dihanyutkan.

"Kiranya, tak ada apa yang tinggal. Saya pula perantau yang berasal dari Kelantan dan tak tahu nak minta tolong dengan siapa," katanya ketika dihubungi Harian Metro.

Wan Md Rosanizal tidak menyangka perkongsiannya mendapat perhatian hingga ramai menghulurkan sumbangan. "Alhamdulillah, ramai yang tolong, malah ada antaranya memberi duit dan baju raya terpakai untuk anak saya.

"Terima kasih, tak terkata kerana terharu dengan bantuan yang diterima.

"Semoga Allah SWT membalas kebaikan semua yang membantu," katanya yang mempunyai tiga anak berumur dua dan lima tahun serta tujuh bulan.