PHUKET: As local Phuket officials continue their campaign to assure island residents and tourists that the air quality in Phuket is fine, Wiroj Lewchareonsap, Director of the Southern Western Meteorological Center based at Phuket airport, has come forward to say that the air “will get better” as the rains start to return.
Mr Wiroj admitted that the AQI (air quality index) “was higher”, but noted that it was “expected to return to normal soon”, said an official report posted on Tuesday night (Apr 18).
According to Mr Wiroj, the Pollution Control Department readings marked that the air quality was still in the range of “normal criteria”.
“Although in the past some areas of Phuket have been covered with smog, resulting in hot weather and haze during the day,” he said.
“The dust value is in the ‘medium quality criteria’, in the yellow scale. This is caused by the weather in the transition period from the dry season to the rainy season, causing a dry hazy appearance,” he said, repeating teh government’s explanation without offering any further details.
“After this, the weather in Phuket will be better accordingly. It can be clearly seen at this stage that the appearance of rain clouds has already occurred in many areas. And after this there will be more rain cloud formation every day. Although the amount of distribution is not much but enough to start to rain which will make the dust less,” he said.
“The southern part of the west coast, including Phuket, will start to enter its rainy season around mid-May. But after April 20, it will start to rain in some areas and there will be quite a lot of rain,” Mr Wiroj continued.
“From May 15 on, the amount of rain will reach normal standards. In two to three days the weather conditions and the smog situation in the Phuket area will get better respectively,” he said.
