the department of pollution Control predict that increase in the strength of El Nino early next year will increase the risk of haze pollution in the northern part of Thailand.
Wijarn simachaya, the department's chief, said the Meteorological Department expects a stronger EL Nino to hit the region next year, judging by the increase sea temperature.
This will have a marked impact on the mekong region, especially the number of hotspots in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
hotspots are heat spots detected by satellites when farmers practise slash-and-burn cultivation. "Drought and dry weather will put the country at more risk of smoke pollution at time when countries in the region are trying to reduce the number of hotspots to less then 50,000," Mr Wijarn said. In an agreement in November last year, Mekong Sub-Region countries vowed to reduce the number of hotspots to 75,000 by 2017 and 50,000 by 2020.