North chokes in dangerous smog

[webfact]

North chokes in dangerous smog

By The Nation

 

Mae Hong Son

 

THREE PROVINCES in the North, including Chiang Mai, faced PM2.5 levels higher than the standard safe levels for health.
 

Officials attempted to reach the origins of the smog, including forest fires and burn-offs in order to tackle the haze.

 

In Chiang Mai, the high concentration of PM 2.5 – dust particles with diameter less that 2.5 microns per square metre – that can affect the human respiratory system reached 63 microns per square metre, prompting Chiang Mai residents to adjust their daily lifestyles, including switching to indoor exercises.

 

Overall visibility was low and people said they were hardly able to view the usually prominent Doi Suthep Stupa on Doi Suthep from a distance.

People suffering from allergy, like Lamduan Inthawong,42, were worried that their health might be affected if the situation worsened, but she hoped it would improve in the next few days.

 

In Phayao province, the situation was similar with the concentration of PM 2.5 recording 78 microns per sqm. Officials made attempts to draw water from Kwan Phayao Lake and spray it in the air to improve visibility.

 

In Mae Hong Son province, which has faced smog for three consecutive days, people struggled with low visibility. The PM 2.5 level measured 64 microns per sqm.

 

Officials found 10 small hot spots in Mae Hong Son downtown, while two major ones occurred on the high mountains close to the border. The officials failed in their efforts to reach the spots due to the rugged terrain.

 

Meanwhile, the Northeastern Royal Rainmaking Operation Centre is extending the rainmaking operation period, as part efforts to reduce air pollution, until the end of February.

 

The director of the Northeastern Royal Rainmaking Operation Centre, Wassana Wongrat, said the Department of Royal Rainmaking and Agricultural Aviation (DRRAA) had set up a rapid deployment unit to conduct royal rainmaking operations to improve air quality in Khon Kaen province last week.

 

The air quality in and around Khon Kaen and much of the northeastern region has been poor for the past month, mostly due to the plantation burn-off.

 

The centre has been closely monitoring air quality in the northeastern province and found that the conditions would be suitable for rainmaking operations from yesterday until tomorrow.

 

The DRRAA director-general, Surasee Kitimonthon, has ordered the rain-making unit in Khon Kaen to extend the royal rainmaking operations period up to the end of the month.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30364678

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-25

[AlexRich]

The annual Thailand foot-shooting event in full swing! Great place to stay for six months of the year, but no more.

[tabarin]

Not sure what the F. is happening but entire moo baan and house smells like smoke here in Sansai since last evening. This is pretty much the limit for me as this must be near by burning and nobody does anything about it. I rarely have problems from it but this actually bothers my eyes and throat let alone a child.

Guess it means a departure from CM is final, this is the last burning season for me, risk is too high and I do not believe for a second anything will change in the next years.

Edited February 24, 2019 by tabarin

[jaiyen]

Many reports of fires but absolutely nothing done by police or admnistration to control them or stop new fires from happening. Problem will always be there as it has in the past every year. This is Thainess.          LOS =  LAND OF SMOKE  !!

[Lungstib]

In the season when the cool nights causes air to slump into the valley and there is no wind, whats created in that 'bowl' stays there. Villagers know what and who causes it and good local govt could solve this problem. My village out beyond Tha Ton is pretty clear and fresh due to a village ban on fires that generally works. Its the eternal problem here of getting everyone to act in the interests of the society as a whole rather than for themselves, and thats proved to be beyond most 'village heads' ability. Private ownership of diesel engine pick-ups is a different matter and where they are concentrated their is an exhaust problem and no amount of encouragement will work to make people give them up as transport when there is no public service. Waiting for enforcement by govt agencies is futile. Village meetings, peoples cooperation is the answer and its pretty rare in Thailand.

[cmsally]

Well the little govt firefighters better trot off to Mae Wang and Doi Lo. They have pm2.5 readings of 230 and 520 respectively this morning! Something is seriously wrong down there.

[hotchilli]

Welcome to Thailand..

[Antonymous]

It is already a scandal that Thailand chooses to call 50 a normal level for PM2.5 when the international standard is 25. Worse still is the dishonest method of reporting apparent levels such as this ...

 

" In Chiang Mai, the high concentration of PM 2.5 – dust particles with diameter less that 2.5 microns per square metre – that can affect the human respiratory system reached 63 microns per square metre"

 

... when it is blatantly obvious that the levels are reaching so much higher. These reports should explain how the figure of 63 microns is determined and if it is an 'average' then how that average is determined.

 

The actual reading of PM2.5 at 10am this morning in the country 40km north of Chiang Mai city is 145 microns.

 

We are not breathing an average. We are breathing actual particles.

 

[SupermarineS6B]

This time last year with the same dirt that's in the air i ended up with pleurisy, six weeks nearly choking to death propped up in bed as you can't lay down due to the pain in your lungs...... Lovely, thanks a lot Thailand....

[fantom]

This is a very muddled initial report suddenly introducing microns as a unit of measure

 

PM 2.5 is normally presented as 2.5 ug/m3. That is the weight in micrograms per cubic metre of air. (Microns are a measure of size 1/1000000th of a metre)

 

For example on my balcony at the moment my PM2.5 monitor is showing 135 micrograms per cubic metre of air. More than 5 times the WHO advisory limit.

Those interested in how AQI works may be interested in this

https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=aqibasics.aqi

Edited February 25, 2019 by fantom
spelling

[JAS21]

We were at Nan and also Mae Moh golf course last week... sometimes the sky appeared to disappear and same same for the hills ... 

 

Plan was to escape Bangkok air for somwhere cooler and more fresh ... stupid idea ... wellI suppose it was a little cooler up there ...

Edited February 25, 2019 by JAS21

[cmrichsw]

It has been this way as long as I have lived here for 20 years I don't expect it will ever change. I think most of the reports are to sell masks etc. 

[WeekendRaider]

the smoke is not good at all, but we should count our blessings.  Tony Barnston of Columbia a few days ago confirms the models we now have were correct.  I'm loosely referring to any risk of a repeat of 2015/2016.  remember that one in Chiangmai?  never forget the following:  we only have about 60 years of very basic data to go on for the ENSO.  smoke bad?  yeah.  I have chronic bronchitis, but air filters and staying inactive and indoors have helped this year for me.  but if we have any at all more pervasive or severe event along the lines of the 2015/2016 ENSO.... we will have smoke on a scale unimaginable.  am I hurting anyone's feelings, even on this posted topic?  if I am, good.  don't like it?  the girlie men will rant "get a life!"... "no fear!"..... that is no different from a Hal Moore Jr. at Landing Zone Xray crying like a little girlie, instead of being ready to 'go with your gut' no matter how horrific the facts are.  read up if you are not an expert on Climate and be ready for local consequences, not the heat... water.      

 

Barnston, Climate & Society 'Climate Briefing Highlights for February 2019' on Youtube.

Edited February 26, 2019 by WeekendRaider

[cmsally]

The smog/dust levels are atrocious today and see little mention of it on the Thai news. If this was in BKK all hell would have broken loose. Does anyone give a s... ? Nada in the realms of official response.

[Odysseus123]

5 minutes ago, cmsally said:

The smog/dust levels are atrocious today and see little mention of it on the Thai news. If this was in BKK all hell would have broken loose. Does anyone give a s... ? Nada in the realms of official response.

Well CM Sally..the fact that no-one really does give a s... (about anything much) was a major factor in my decision to walk,hop,skip and fly away.

[bubblehead]

I would move away for a couple of months every year but I have kids at school in CM and the holidays don't allow for this.

There is the option of moving away completely of course, I have considered this.