Cleaners doused and swept roads in futile attempts to reduce cancer-causing air pollution as the annual smog season intensified in Thailand.

Footage shows council staff being ordered to hose down a road with water and scrubbing it with brooms as farmers engaged in illegal agricultural burning in Khon Kaen province.

Khon Kaen governor Kraisorn Kongchalad led the cleaning activity, which covered two routes near the city government hall, at 5 am on January 11.

Although it has no effect on air pollution, officials - too afraid to take on food conglomerates responsible for burning - often stage bizarre publicity stunts to show they are acting on the problem.

This initiative was prompted by a spike in PM2.5 fine dust levels the province during the sugarcane harvest season.

Despite paying lip service to concerns for several years, politicians have been unable to stop the annual pollution.

In March 2023, the Public Health Ministry of Thailand reported that around 1.3 million people in the country were had been unwell due to the rising levels of air pollution. Officials said 200,000 residents were hospitalised in a single week.

It came as researchers from Peking University in Beijing, China, also discovered that long-term exposure to particulate matter PM.25 air pollution is associated with an increased risk of lung cancer.

While in December, Dr Krittai Thanasombatkul from Chiang Mai, Thailand, died of lung cancer. He had previously blamed PM2.5 microdust particles for his condition.

Thai politicians have failed to tackle the problem, which came to prominence several years ago. However, a draft 'Clean Air Bill' has been introduced which would provide subsidies to encourage farmers to switch to environmentally friendly methods of crop clearing instead of burning.