Thai PM vows to curb air pollution in tourist hotspot Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai, Thailand: Thailand s prime minister promised Saturday to tackle air pollution as he visited tourism hotspot Chiang Mai, which had among th...

Chiang Mai, Thailand: Thailand's prime minister promised Saturday to tackle air pollution as he visited tourism hotspot Chiang Mai, which had among the world's worst air quality for the second day in a row.

The picturesque historic city is hugely popular with visitors but annually suffers dire air quality in the early months of the year when farmers burn crops.

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, who is on a four-day northern tour, acknowleged his government needs to tackle the smog.

"Even if the pollution level is lower than last year at this time, we are still concerned and will find solutions to improve the livelihood of the people," he told reporters.

His visit came as Chiang Mai topped air monitoring website IQAir's list of the world's most-polluted cities for the second consecutive day.