PM10 pollution still rising despite woodland-fire ban

[webfact]

PM10 pollution still rising despite woodland-fire ban

By Tossapon Boonpat, 
Pannawich Yoodee 
The Nation

 

 

A governor’s directive to bar entry to reserve forest lands and parks to reduce hazardous pollution in the North has so far failed to reverse the amount of PM10 particulates in Mae Hong Song.
 

Thursday morning saw a climb to 172 micrograms per cubic metre in the quantity of inhalable particulates with a diameter of around 10 micrometres (PM10) – resulting in a delayed flight into May Hong Song airport.

 

The jump, the highest reading in the region for the day, has been largely attributed to forest fires deliberately set by locals following traditional harvesting practices.

 

Chiang Mai’s Muang district had the second-highest reading of the day at 123 micrograms, according to the Pollution Control Department.

 

A source in the long-necked Karen hill-tribal village of Ban Huai Sua Thao in Muang Mae Hong Son said the number of visitors to the attraction was down by 80 per cent due to the seasonal haze.

 

Nok Air delayed the arrival time of its flight DD 8214 for seven hours, shifting it from 9am to 4.45pm due to poor visibility of under two kilometres, said a source at the Mae Hong Son airport.

 

The flight is reported to be carrying Thai Smile Airways executives and delegates travelling to the northern province to find ways to promote the route, the source said.

 

The haze in Mae Hong Son has been bad this week with PM10 readings beyond the 120-microgram safe limit starting last Saturday. Forest fires are seen as the cause. According to a report by the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA), Mae Hong Son on Tuesday had 108 fire incidents.

 

In Phayao's Dok Kham Tai district, a brush fire on Thursday morning damaged two rai (.32 hectares) of grass meadows within the Dok Kham Tai Technical College and threatened to ignite the college teachers' residence compound.

 

Firefighters spent two hours extinguishing the blaze, which was suspected to have begun when a villager lit a fire while foraging in the woodland for food and other necessities.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30342015

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-29

[YetAnother]

The only problem with human beings is they cannot live with each other nor nature

[johng]

3 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

The only problem with human beings

From the great film

 

Agent Smith to Morpheus

 

I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species and I realized that you're not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment but you humans do not. You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern. Do you know what it is? A virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer of this planet. You're a plague and we are the cure.

[Thailand]

I suppose it is possible that the burning ban is being ignored?

[Estrada]

Based on a study carried out in a similar city where copious amounts of chilli are used in cooking, >15% of the pollution is caused by the fried chilli tear gas coming from Thai cooking in woks by the street food stalls. Fried chilli tear gas is used by the Indian Army against terrorists.

Edited March 30, 2018 by Estrada

[Ruffian Dick]

Because ALL of Thailad's air pollution gets blown up into Northern Thailand, and because of topography, and stays there.

[connda]

Just like moving traffic violations, all Thais know that their chance of getting caught setting fires to the forests is about zip, zero, nada.  There is no actual enforcement for either violation of the law, so it's anarchy.  Drove from Lamphun to Chiang Mai today.  It's like driving inside of a dirty ping pong ball.  Pathetic.

[Sparkles]

A peaceful protest tonight at Thepae Gate tonight re air quality has been cancelled due to possible re percussions to organiser City Life.On fb

[worgeordie]

Banning something without enforcement is just a waste of time.

regards worgeordie

[captainsteve]

Not only have they threatened the organiser of a peaceful protest , and frightened her into cancelling,  now the Chiang Mai governor is taking  her to court.

 

what is happening to this great country ☹️

[Thunder26]

Pollution is a serious problem, because Thais burn things all the time. If you live in a high condo then seeing plumes of smoke around you is a common occurrence. And that is in the city! Just outside the city, the farmers constantly burn something, like rice fields or grasses. And not to mention the amount of cars roaming the streets. Pollution is pretty bad at the moment. Can't wait for the south west monsoon to kick in . It usually brings clean air from the Indian ocean.

[AlphaSoiDog]

On 3/30/2018 at 2:39 PM, Ruffian Dick said:

Because ALL of Thailad's air pollution gets blown up into Northern Thailand, and because of topography, and stays there.

 

My Thai partner told me it ALL comes from Myanmar.

 

The funny part was that she told me this in northern Chiangmai while driving past an entire mountain side of burning national forest adjoining farming area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cmsally]

Personal insult removed , this being a public forum and in Thailand , rules don't permit.

It is of course very frustrating when involving such a serious public health issue.