Thai cabinet endorses clean air bill

BANGKOK: Thailand's cabinet endorsed a bill aimed at tackling the kingdom´s poor air quality on Tuesday, clearing the way for parliament to start debating the draft legislation.

The country registers dire air pollution levels every year, with Bangkok and the northern city of Chiang Mai ranked among the most polluted cities in the world on some days last year.

Industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust fumes and smoke from stubble burning by farmers from December to April send air quality plummeting annually.

Environmentalists have long called for legislation to tackle air pollution, which last year saw two million people seek medical treatment, according to the health ministry.

“The cabinet has approved a Clean Air Act,” Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told reporters on Tuesday.

He said the draft had “gone through debates from the citizens and relevant agencies”.