A helicopter was deployed as firefighters tackled wildfires engulfing forests causing debilitating air pollution for residents across northern Thailand.

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation dispatched the Ka-32 helicopter, which dumped more than 36,000 litres of water over burning woodlands, to aid firefighting efforts as multiple forest fires ripped through Chiang Mai province on March 2.

Authorities had been grappling with the fires for the past week, as dry conditions and agricultural burning continued to plague the region.

Local media reported that thousands of acres of agricultural land has been razed, sparking air pollution fears in Chiang Mai as the levels of the deadly PM 2.5 particles in the air, which originate from burning, reached levels above 50 microgrammes per cubic metre - more than 10 times the safe levels set by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Kritsayam Kongsatri, director of Protected Area Regional Office 16, said 60 personnel were deployed to tackle fires in 38 hot spots across the province.

Additionally, the 3rd Army Area dispatched rangers to patrol the area to prevent illegal burning.

Dangerous levels of deadly PM 2.5 particled are recorded every year in Thailand between December and April.

Despite paying lip service for several years, politicians have failed to stop individuals from burning their land due to it being cheaper and easier than modern farming methods.

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

They warned hospitals in December 2023 to prepare for an influx of patients.

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.

In December, Dr Krittai Thanasombatkul from Chiang Mai, Thailand, died of lung cancer. He had previously blamed PM 2.5 microdust particles for his condition.

The New York State Department of Health say PM 2.5 increases the risk of heart disease, asthma, and low birth weight.

While medics from South Korea published research in the National Institute of Health in the United States that said the pollutant increases the risk of stroke, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer, and other illnesses such as immune deficiency and even obesity.