This is horrific! They'll have more 'urgent meetings' as they do every year, after every year, after every year, but, as 'every year', nothing will ever get done. 

If you look at the national map, the cities mentioned in the OP article tend to be the ones marked in red as unhealthy... But other nearby cities/stations don't seem to have readings nearly as high.... Not sure why...

 

6 minutes ago, Graemej100 said:

This is horrific! They'll have more 'urgent meetings' as they do every year, after every year, after every year, but, as 'every year', nothing will ever get done. 

Thainess....

3 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

The culprit is normally Indonesia but in this case, it is burning in Myanmar - http://asmc.asean.org/asmc-hotspot#Hotspot

 

Lot of fires West and South West of Chiang Mai since 3 days. Hundreds of them.

https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/map/#z:6.0;c:104.153,16.577

28 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

There are sites that report the PM2.5 levels from locations around Thailand, including the following:

http://aqicn.org/city/chiang-mai/

 

The scale is showing the AQI levels for PM2.5, not the actual measurement of that particular pollutant.

 

The current AQI level for PM2.5 works out to an actual PM2.5 measurement of about 84.5

 

 

https://www.airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.calculator

Good information, TallGuy. I have been consulting the AQICN website every day for the last few weeks and - in BKK, at least - things are not getting hugely better. 

 

The measure of a government's care for its people is the degree to which it ensures that the most vital life-sustainer of all - far more immediately vital than water - the air is  safe and breathable. But this bunch of crooks don't give a damn about anyone or anything (except gold and Power) ...

3 hours ago, Dario said:

 

Interesting app you have there. Can you disclose which app it is? Thank you. As you can see from my avatar, I come from a country with possibly the cleanest air on the globe.

And you got bored of all that clean air ?

When i was growing up i was always told to get out the house and get some fresh air.

Now you have to say stay in and put your mask on.

from aqicn.org's very own guide:

"For example, when seeing a 188 AQI (Unhealthy), one need to read it as "if I stay out for 24 hours, and the AQI is 188 during those 24 hours, then the health effect is Unhealthy". This is quite different from saying that "if the AQI reported now is 188, then the health effect is Unhealthy". (source)

 

stay indoors. wear a mask if you need to be out for extended periods of time.

Edited March 2, 20188 yr by irwinfc

42 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

If you look at the national map, the cities mentioned in the OP article tend to be the ones marked in red as unhealthy... But other nearby cities/stations don't seem to have readings nearly as high.... Not sure why...

 

many of the other readings are pm10 and not pm2.5 ...!!!

 

4 minutes ago, irwinfc said:

from aqicn.org's very own guide:

"For example, when seeing a 188 AQI (Unhealthy), one need to read it as "if I stay out for 24 hours, and the AQI is 188 during those 24 hours, then the health effect is Unhealthy". This is quite different from saying that "if the AQI reported now is 188, then the health effect is Unhealthy". (source)

 

stay indoors. wear a mask if you need to be out for extended periods of time.

inside can be nearly as bad as outside .... have to use air purifier!!!

http://berkeleyearth.lbl.gov/air-quality/map.php

 

Easy to see where the problems are coming from

Strangely not mentioned, Thai farmers have been encouraged to start growing sugar cane, now is the harvesting season, how is most of it harvested, they burn it! Here in Udon you can see it floating in the air! may not be PM 2.5 particle size but not good?

1 hour ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Thainess....

Ah . . . you mean tiredness. Similar to couldn't-care-less-ness and hoogivesaphukness . . . all at serious levels, currently and, in no small measure, thanks to the polluting influence of the rubbish at the top. I'd love to lead a fleet of back hoes to clear that lot out.

Given this is only the beginning of the smoke season ( all of March ), the rest of the month is not looking good.

6 hours ago, Bangkokazy said:

Map of pollution in Asia today

This is not pollution, this is Red China!

5 hours ago, Dario said:

As you can see from my avatar, I come from a country with possibly the cleanest air on the globe.

Avatar?

Do you mean you come from planet Pandora?

They sure have clean air over there...a shame that we can't breathe it...

3 hours ago, hobz said:

law enforcement is useless in thailand.

 

They will get shot if they do anything to enforce the law.

2 hours ago, PhonThong said:

Was at 161 at 9: AM this morning.  Unhealthy. 

Can you tell me where you got the 161 reading from? I do a lot of early morning jogging and walking and from now on would like to check the air pollution first. Might have to stick to a boring treadmill for a while ? 

16 minutes ago, Tongjaw said:

Can you tell me where you got the 161 reading from? I do a lot of early morning jogging and walking and from now on would like to check the air pollution first. Might have to stick to a boring treadmill for a while ? 

Yes, I would say that it is very unwise (from a health point of view) to go jogging or even walking very far in the present miasma of pollution. In fact, I believe that medical doctors are saying: 'Don't engage in any vigorous exercise when outside'. One really pities workers on building sites and the like ...

5 hours ago, realenglish1 said:

Its gotten worse The health index is now at 163 and listed as unhealthy But I do not see authorities doing anything about it

 

Not even lip service This does not go away it gets worse over time

The no prostitution solution will solve the smoking issue. 

29 minutes ago, Tongjaw said:

Can you tell me where you got the 161 reading from? I do a lot of early morning jogging and walking and from now on would like to check the air pollution first. Might have to stick to a boring treadmill for a while ? 

http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/khonkaen

Where is the international pressure on this?

Air pollution also affects wild birds, many of which building up their physical resources for migration out of Thailand about this time of year. Birds have particularly sensitive lungs and this is not going to help. But of course nobody gives a flying <deleted> about that - it never even occurred to them.

In answer to CharlesSwann above:

 

They don't care about humans - how much less about animals (unless they are 'hi-so' ones, presumably!).

 

 

Edited March 2, 20188 yr by Eligius

Mae Rim now!!! ?

2 hours ago, motdaeng said:

many of the other readings are pm10 and not pm2.5 ...!!!

 

 Re the national map for Thailand, I noticed that for some cities/stations -- lacking PM2.5 data.

 

But for others, for example, there are stations in Chiang Rai that read PM2.5 and those were showing AQI numbers in the 120s this morning when Chiang Mai had AQI numbers in the 160s...

 

So it's not just absence of PM2.5 readings.

 

33 minutes ago, PhonThong said:

http://aqicn.org/city/thailand/khonkaen

 

These days, here in BKK, I have the AQI website set as the home page on my main web browser.

 

So every morning when I'm getting up, getting ready and checking the PC, the first thing I see is what the AQI readings are looking like for BKK for the day.

 

And sad to say, based on that, I adjust my plans for the day in terms of having or not having a lot of outside activity and the time(s) of the day for doing so.

 

Equally sad to say, this is the first time in my life I've ever found myself adjusting my life that way.

 

But PM2.5 is very bad for your health, since it gets into your lungs and even blood stream. And unfortunately, Thailand is BIG on PM2.5.

 

Edited March 2, 20188 yr by TallGuyJohninBKK

12 minutes ago, CharlesSwann said:

Where is the international pressure on this?

 

International pressure from whom?

It's not as if Thailand was alone polluting the air!

Just a few months ago, most of Northern India was asphyxiated by smoke coming from the West.

China...is there anything more to say about China and pollution?

And the West is not better...as soon as there are more than 2 days of sun, Parisians are invited to take the (free for the occasion) public transports, while many cities in Germany are faring much worse than Northern Thailand.

 

What is needed is intergalactic pressure!

36 minutes ago, Brunolem said:

International pressure from whom?

It's not as if Thailand was alone polluting the air!

Just a few months ago, most of Northern India was asphyxiated by smoke coming from the West.

China...is there anything more to say about China and pollution?

And the West is not better...as soon as there are more than 2 days of sun, Parisians are invited to take the (free for the occasion) public transports, while many cities in Germany are faring much worse than Northern Thailand.

 

What is needed is intergalactic pressure!

Indeed, the question was mainly ironic, but as the natural world is completely at the mercy of human activity there has to be something. At least continuous pressure from international environmental and conservation agencies. You're right, a much bigger authority is needed. It's about time that such groups, like the WWF, were combined into a single internationally-backed organisation with the power to bring legal cases for 'natural rights', as the International Court of Justice in the Hague does for human rights.

 

1 hour ago, Eligius said:

In fact, I believe that medical doctors are saying: 'Don't engage in any vigorous exercise when outside'. One really pities workers on building sites and the like ...

Yes, but that's hardly vigorous exercise . . . they save that for their baggin' breaks.

Edited March 2, 20188 yr by Ossy
clarity

2 minutes ago, CharlesSwann said:

Indeed, the question was mainly ironic, but as the natural world is completely at the mercy of human activity there has to be something. At least continuous pressure from international environmental and conservation agencies. You're right, a much bigger authority is needed. It's about time that such groups, like the WWF, were combined into a single internationally-backed org2anisation with the power to bring legal cases for 'natural rights', as the International Court of Justice in the Hague does for human rights.

I wouldn't hold my breath regarding the efficiency of international organizations...

These days, the world is faced with many grave dangers, climate change being one of them, probably the most lethal in the long run.

All these dangers are somehow linked together and are the result of decades of mindlessly partying as if there was no tomorrow.

Well, there will be a tomorrow and the hangover is not going to be pretty.

The only thing we can hope for is that economic and financial collapse, one of the lurking dangers, will come first and soon, because it will put an end to many abuses and excesses regarding the environment at large, and maybe, maybe catastrophical climate change will be avoided.

It is sad to say that, smart as we supposedly are, we have put ourselves in a position where we have to chose between economic depression and environmental depression...