Government Launches Low-Cost Clean Air Rooms in Chiang Mai

This is nothing more than a photo op. Real action is needed by the government. The national budget for the pollution control department in 2023 was 1.75 bn baht.

Perspective. The defense budget for 2024 was just shy of 200bn baht. Remember the half half scheme. They got 20bn.

The numbers speak for themselves.

Why live there if you're going to be a prisoner of your own room? Targeting the problem, which is plainly obvious, the people burning, and fining every time it happens.There is no other way around air pollution than reduction at it's source. Can't stop the automobiles but the burning can.

Government should be forced to give everyone airpurifiers and new filters.

Not just a couple of clean rooms.

In my last holiday to thailand I packed sunscreen, lots of tshirts, and an air purifier. Feel odd doing that for a fun in the sun holiday but in those months for longer holidays it is somewhat necessary

They're doing what they can to deal with the effects of a pernicious problem. You can't change the mentality of a populace overnight nor can you fine those people out of existence. Cooling rooms in villages wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

2 hours ago, flaming dragon said:

They're doing what they can to deal with the effects of a pernicious problem.

I think, they do not enough.

2 hours ago, flaming dragon said:

You can't change the mentality of a populace overnight

This problem exists many years now and every time I hear the same phrases.

8 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

Can't stop the automobiles

But they can stop the dirty automobiles. I can see them on the streets every day.

5 minutes ago, 10000Baht said:

But they can stop the dirty automobiles. I can see them on the streets every day.

True, as the US has laws against emissions. Adopting things from the west is good, as they've helped them in numerous ways over the decades. True also they have little money for repairing things here, and not using helmets and such, so the laws aren't enforced as they should be, which might take some money away from those ignorant to them, but save lives in the process.

I don't think I'm alone?........have you ever read anything more ridiculous?

A country choking its citizens to death, year in year out, failing to act on crop burning, mountain clearance fires and domestic rubbish burning........and their response? ................some rooms with filtered air......un*******believable.

56 minutes ago, 10000Baht said:

I think, they do not enough.

This problem exists many years now and every time I hear the same phrases.

Do you live here? If so, you'll realize that it's a homogeneous populace with a strong national identity and long running customs. It takes generations to change thinking and behaviour.

When I was a kid there were adults who threw garbage out of car windows onto the streets. It was normal behaviour for people to do that up until the 1970s. We children were targeted by advertising and education to adopt better behaviour and pressure the adults around us to clean up their act. This was in Canada in the 70s. It took a generation but things improved and now seeing people pollute brings on as strong a reaction as an Italian has to watching someone put pineapple on a pizza.

This is just another ridiculous PR stunt to convince people that they are doing something about the toxic air.

Mobilize the RTA, the BPP, and the local police to fight the wildfires that are the main cause of this public health crisis.

12 minutes ago, VillageIdiot said:

This is just another ridiculous PR stunt to convince people that they are doing something about the toxic air.

Mobilize the RTA, the BPP, and the local police to fight the wildfires that are the main cause of this public health crisis.

Have you ever fought a fire? I have, and it requires training and proper equipment. You don't just mobilise untrained people in uniforms.

What the government should do is subsidize the price of air-conditioners and especially air-purifiers until they pull their finger out of their collective backsides and get the farm-boys in control.

39 minutes ago, flaming dragon said:

Have you ever fought a fire? I have, and it requires training and proper equipment. You don't just mobilise untrained people in uniforms.

I would prefer they catch people before lighting any fire ,charge them

and if found guilty ,real punishment ,long prison sentence ,to let people

know they are really serious about this problem that has been going on

for years ,

Get some Army ,Police and any volunteer up in the mountains with road

blocks ,drones do something that is proactive ,not sticky plaster after the

fires are raging

regards Worgeordie

A DIY air filter? What does that entail? Couple of pair of secondhand ladyboys undies wrapped over some blue PVC pipes? Job done!

2 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

True, as the US has laws against emissions. Adopting things from the west is good, as they've helped them in numerous ways over the decades. True also they have little money for repairing things here, and not using helmets and such, so the laws aren't enforced as they should be, which might take some money away from those ignorant to them, but save lives in the process.

The emissions issue got fixed so much in canada that they dropped testing for it.

1 hour ago, worgeordie said:

I would prefer they catch people before lighting any fire ,charge them

and if found guilty ,real punishment ,long prison sentence ,to let people

know they are really serious about this problem that has been going on

for years

How do you do that?

If they have cigarettes etc and a lighter on them how are you going to prove the items are not for personal use and intended to start fires?

PS; My italics and bolding in the quote.

So selling baked air?? It would be better to enforce the laws and invest in less polluting cars and industry.. To clkean the air there is more needed than a few rooms. or a rainy season

6 hours ago, emptypockets said:

A DIY air filter? What does that entail? Couple of pair of secondhand ladyboys undies wrapped over some blue PVC pipes? Job done!

No.

DIY air purifiers use HEPA filters and normal household box-fans.

They are very effective, and more effective than commercial units when judged on efficacy of filtration divided by cost.

If you can obtain the HEPA filter material, these are the best solution, and a low cost solution for filtering PM2.5.

How do these clean air rooms work?

Do people just move in for a few months during the Smoking Season?

Do they have Free WIfi and beds?

And, how many to a room?

Do they offer free transportation to and from work?

IMHO, these clean rooms should be replaced with an entirely different strategy:

a. First collect all individuals who are at risk for elevated levels of PM2.5.

b. Do not send them to these clean rooms.

c. Instead, send them to Finland. Finland has very clean air, and plenty of trees which are not burning.

d. When PM2.5 decreases, around end of June, then these people can return to their homes here in Thailand.

e. This would be a very low cost solution. One could pack Airbus 380 aircraft with up to 1000 people per flight, or maybe more. While in Finland, people could do handicrafts and ell them locally in Finland, thus offsetting the cost of air-shipment.

they just need some of these clean air machines like wot they have in bangkok. problem sorted.

16 hours ago, flaming dragon said:

Do you live here?

Yes!

16 hours ago, flaming dragon said:

If so, you'll realize that it's a homogeneous populace with a strong national identity and long running customs. It takes generations to change thinking and behaviour.

I know this and I agree. But I miss here a real start for the change, always excuses and pointing on others like neighbor countries. Using mobile phones the change was very fast.

16 hours ago, flaming dragon said:

We children were targeted by advertising and education to adopt better behaviour and pressure the adults around us to clean up their act.

This is what I miss here. Nowadays, everyone can read or see in the media what the state of the environment on Earth is. Everyone should know what air pollution means and how to avoid it. Everyone should know the damage caused by masses of waste, especially plastic waste. Every day I see very young children dropping their trash wherever they stand or go. Even though their parents are present and even holding their hands, they don't intervene or tell their children off. It's simply blatant ignorance.

17 hours ago, fredwiggy said:

True, as the US has laws against emissions.

In Thailand they have also law against emissions,

for example black smoke from Diesel cars and trucks, but ......

1 hour ago, 10000Baht said:

In Thailand they have also law against emissions,

for example black smoke from Diesel cars and trucks, but ......

The laws are not the problem.... The enforcement and RTP force however

They should launch these nationwide, The air quality across Thailand is getting worse, I recently spent some time in hospital here in Phuket, where I was in the ICU, actually twice, but not for breathing problems, the amount of people and kids in there with breathing difficulties, I thought I smoked all my life and a don't cough like them, Thats here in the south of Phuket,

"3,600 baht per room" I like to see the true cost...does this include sealing the rooms.. and what about ongoing maintenance..cleaning the filters, replacing damaged ducting, extra running costs...ok, I know, it's a photo op... they will install, do some finger pointing photo ops...then in a few months, the units will be unusable , and left to become another fading memory, let's see how many a still functionable, next season.........except we farang, don't forget...we are a pain, in the side, of Thai officials...555

22 hours ago, scottiejohn said:

How do you do that?

If they have cigarettes etc and a lighter on them how are you going to prove the items are not for personal use and intended to start fires?

PS; My italics and bolding in the quote.

Been proactive and try to catch those folks that are going to set fires,

this has been going on for many years , they know by now where the

fires are going to be set ,as it happens every year , if they catch someone

in the forests with a lighter and cigarettes ,they need questioning .

Every year when the smoke comes it's a sticking plaster response ,there

seems to be no deterrent at all, this burning costs the tourist industry greatly,

then there's the health of the population ,the the lives of animals and reptiles

that are going to be lost .all this pollution is not natural it's caused by people.

regards worgeordie

4 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

ote.

Been proactive and try to catch those folks that are going to set fires,

How can you prove that someone is in a certain area and intending to start a fire. Hence my previous comment that just having matches/lighters is in no way proof of intent to start a fire.

Please indicate how you would be proactive!

24 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

How can you prove that someone is in a certain area and intending to start a fire. Hence my previous comment that just having matches/lighters is in no way proof of intent to start a fire.

Please indicate how you would be proactive!

Having people up in the hills and forests would be a great help in stopping ,what

happens every year , the cost to Chiang Mai financially and to the health of the

population is immense ,Have the Army ,Police and Volunteers ,camping out if

necessary ,with drones ,roadblocks ,that would be a deterrent ,trying to put out

fires once they have started is much more difficult ,anybody caught in the forests

with matches ,lighters and cigarettes could be questioned ,and they would have

a record of who they are ,

But doing nowt ,you are never going to stop it.

regards Worgeordie