Pai’s AQI Air Quality has shot up over 400!…

[sfokevin]

Edited March 25, 2018 by sfokevin

[lovelomsak]

Would some one be so kind as to translate to a layman like myself what these graphs mean.

[KittenKong]

Presumably means they are burning the fields prior to replanting, and that there is a temperature inversion in the valley. That's the usual cause of smog up there.

Though I suppose it could mean that a very large group of hippies has just arrived.

[ChidlomDweller]

That PM2.5=411 microgram/m3 figure is crazy, 41 times over the WHO healthy limit.

 

Sounds indeed like local burning with stagnant air.  Bon appetit.

 

No offense meant, but I would seriously look into moving to a different part of Thailand if this bothers you, because we all know this problem isn't going away.  Meanwhile, get an air cleaner with HEPA filter and exercise with an N95 mask.

Edited March 25, 2018 by ChidlomDweller

[amexpat]

2 minutes ago, ChidlomDweller said:

 if this bothers you, 

[sfokevin]

This does not mean that a bunch of bad air has snuck in from Myanmar either... 

Edited March 25, 2018 by sfokevin

[dvg]

26 minutes ago, sfokevin said:

This does not mean that a bunch of bad air has snuck in from Myanmar either... 

Berichten

Maybe it helps a little???

 

 

 

 

 

Citylife Chiang Mai heeft zijn/haar evenement gedeeld.

23 maart om 16:43 · 

Grab your mask and bring your friends and family to come together and have our voices heard. We all have the right to breathe. This is a gathering organised by concerned citizens of Chiang Mai with no political agenda but to plead with the authorities to please provide air quality information to the public following WHO standards.

MRT30

Geïnteresseerd

มาร่วมกันเอาอากาศของเราคืนมา Right to Breathe Gathering

Vr 17:00 · Thapae Gate, Chiang Mai

Je vindt Citylife Chiang Mai leuk

[KittenKong]

No offense meant, but I would seriously look into moving to a different part of Thailand if this bothers you, because we all know this problem isn't going away.

I really like the CM area and would probably be living there if it wasnt for the smog at this time of year and the heat in the summer. The rain I dont mind.
Moving all my stuff to another part of Thailand just for those few months would be a pointless nuisance, though I suppose if had a house or condo in another country completely it might work OK.
Jomtien is too near the hot end of the Goldilocks zone to be ideal but it is suitable all year, apart from the 7 days of Songkran.

[bubba]

Looks like it has dropped back down to 224. A considerable improvement, but that is still considered to be in the "very unhealthy" range. I wonder if there was some burning going on in the immediate vicinity of the monitoring station when it got up to 441?

 

Have a look at the AirVisual site:

 

https://www.airvisual.com/world

 

Chiang Mai now ranks highest of all major cities in the world at 181, even eclipsing Delhi which is presently 169.

[canthai55]

On 3/25/2018 at 10:13 AM, lovelomsak said:

Would some one be so kind as to translate to a layman like myself what these graphs mean.

Wow ! It is very difficult

Air Quality Index - AQI on the left

Time of day on the bottom

So ... 5PM over 100   3 PM over 400

PM for my address to send my Mensa card 555

[brommers]

Quite simply the people who live in the Pai area are shitting in their own back yard. I have sat in the evening watching the fires rapidly spreading across the mountains across the river from the town. There is no question that the local residents are to blame and their health will suffer because of their stupidity and avarice. I have no sympathy for them and long ago decided that Pai is simply not worth  visiting because of rampant over development and an increasing disdain by residents for the visitors who suport their businesses. To see t-shirts on sale in the night market emblazoned with the words "backpackers smell" sums it all up.

[canthai55]

So ... the residents of Pai are responsible for all the burning between Wat Chan and Pai ?

Or between Mae Hong Son and Mae Sariang ? Or neighboring countries ?

Beep Beep - time for a reality check.

 

[KittenKong]

There is no question that the local residents are to blame and their health will suffer because of their stupidity and avarice. I have no sympathy for them and long ago decided that Pai is simply not worth visiting because of rampant over development and an increasing disdain by residents for the visitors who suport their businesses.

I think the drive to Pai from Chiang Mai is lovely and would happily do it again any time. However once I got there I just had a walk around, and a quick 40B pad thai lunch from a vendor near the bus station and then I turned straight round and drove my pickup back to CM. I certainly would not stay there as it seemed expensive and of little interest. The town itself is not even particularly attractive, though the surrounding area is.
You cant even buy a beer in a 7/11, presumably because the local restaurants and bars have stopped 7/11 selling it so as to oblige tourists to pay their high prices.

[sfokevin]

^^^ Your mistake was going into town... The best places are outside town... We go a couple times a year and get a nice bungalow next to the river with a rice patty view... Go for a hotspring swim, Tea on the Pai overlook or venture out to the cool cave on the road to Mae Hong Song... then dine at Silhouette or maybe venture into eat at Na's Kitchen....

 

Btw The best way to go to Pai is via Samoeng Rd to Samoeng then up the back way... This is much more scenic and you avoid the ugliest of Mae Rim Rd... 

Edited March 30, 2018 by sfokevin

[KittenKong]

Your mistake was going into town... The best places are outside town... We go a couple times a year and get a nice bungalow next to the river with a rice patty view... Go for a hotspring swim, Tea on the Pai overlook or venture out to the cool cave on the road to Mae Hong Song... then dine at Silhouette or maybe venture into eat at Na's Kitchen....

Btw The best way to go to Pai is via Samoeng Rd to Samoeng then up the back way... This is much more scenic and you avoid the ugliest of Mae Rim Rd...

When I went it was only for the day as I was staying in CM. Whilst I didnt like the town of Pai I thought at that time that I would go again and would stay outside of town, and have a look at some of the other places you mention such as the hot springs. Even without doing an overnight stay I enjoyed the drive enough to want to do it again.

I did also notice that back road on my GPS and thought that I would try it on a future trip, so thanks for confirming it. Though I found nothing wrong with the faster route I took when I went, and it was all pretty once I had turned left off the main road. In fact I thought that all the driving I did when I was there last time was pleasant, compared to Pattaya or Bangkok which are fairly flat and dull. Maybe I was just lucky! About the only thing I didnt really like was the trip up the mountain at CM, which just seemed to be an endless vista of shacks and garbage.

[bubba]

If you aren't interested in the Khao San Road of the North scene, traffic and hordes of backpackers and Chinese tourists, just take the bypass around Pai and head over the mountain another 45 kms to Soppong. It's still a very nice and quiet place there, plus the area has not been completely deforested...yet.

 

But wait until it starts raining again!

[bubba]

Pai is back up to 354 today, which is classified as "hazardous" by AirVisual. 

 

https://www.airvisual.com/thailand/mae-hong-son/pai

 

 

[HaleySabai]

On 3/25/2018 at 11:08 AM, KittenKong said:

I really like the CM area and would probably be living there if it wasnt for the smog at this time of year and the heat in the summer. The rain I dont mind.
Moving all my stuff to another part of Thailand just for those few months would be a pointless nuisance, though I suppose if had a house or condo in another country completely it might work OK.
Jomtien is too near the hot end of the Goldilocks zone to be ideal but it is suitable all year, apart from the 7 days of Songkran.

More than just a few months...it's actually very nice,near perfect weather from say May to end of Jan.... 9 out of 12 months, especially Oct.- Jan. Even Feb.can be alright.(not this year however).

 

We opt to head south for March to a nice secluded beach bungalow,off-the beat-down tourist path and enjoy the sea breeze.

The beach is a nice place to visit but couldn't live there.

[kekalot]

I know this is like 8 months ago but I lived in Pai during the burning season and it was a total crapshoot. compare those 3 pictures taken from behind the house I was renting..
the last 2 pictures were taken the same day but the one with the sun behind the mountain was at early morning and I've added a little black line where the mountain is supposed to be.

 

I am a quite fit individual, I used to run all the time.. I stopped since I came here because soi dogs would not leave me alone but..

the results of being active made my lungs "better" but this was my downfall in Pai.

walking the 3km walk into town during the start of the burning season would have me practically wheezing and out of breath.. then it got 4-5x worse in the 200s and 400s and I didn't even want to go outside anymore

I remember someone on Facebook at the time kept telling us it would happen but was mostly ignored and lot of people telling him to F off and insult him, i paid attention, he was right.. and it was much worse than he was predicting.
people there just kept doing this:



I left in early April I think and I will never go back there during that season and avoid most of the North of Lampang as well.