What's the air quality like in Chiang Rai?

[simon43]

... because from where I am (south Thailand), the levels of air pollution (PM2.5 and PM10) doesn't look good on the Air Quality monitoring websites.

 

I've been watching the air quality data for CR on a daily basis, because I plan to start a new job in the town in about 6 weeks from now.  What I see doesn't look good at all.

 

I'm used to smog from burning (when I lived in Myanmar and visited the Shan Hills etc).  But then I had the option to return to my 'base' in Naypyitaw, where the air quality is excellent.

 

I'm able to live in any location in Thailand, but I prefer the rural north/north-east.  The AQ stats for north Thailand region concern me a lot since my health comes first over any employment offer.

 

Anyone living in CR care to comment?

[persimmon]

I was there for a week about 10 days ago.My impression is that although the air quality is ok as regards smog and burning,what spoils it is the pollution from cars ,lorries ( diesel ) and worst of all ,Tuk-Tuks which really stink.

It can be quite difficult to avoid this if you live in the city centre.Better the farther away you get.

[villagefarang]

While I have seen worse it is definitely not good right now. I have even developed allergy like symptoms. My answer is to simply spend more time in air-conditioned comfort.

[Somtamnication]

I am here now. Last time I was here was in November. Beautiful views. This week has been horrible. Some parts of the day you cannot see the Big Buddha from my hotel and they are both in the city!

[KC 71]

I have had a runny nose ,and eyes of late,but i guess it could always be worse.


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[KC 71]

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[KC 71]

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[Somtamnication]

Simon43, here are two pics. I just took one for you to compare.

 

March 1 (today)

 

 

Nov 2018

[Old Croc]

I think you had a better room in November.

[SoilSpoil]

We moved away from CR because of this a couple of years ago. Cost me a lot of money and energy, but my nearly permanent soar throat is gone. 

 

I really liked Chiang Rai, the people, the stunning countryside, food, but the daily smell of a whole village burning their garbage and the overall bad air quality for 6 to 7 months a year were too much. You do have choices in life.

[orchis]

[Somtamnication]

Even worse today!

[KC 71]

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[KC 71]

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[KC 71]

We moved away from CR because of this a couple of years ago. Cost me a lot of money and energy, but my nearly permanent soar throat is gone. 
 
I really liked Chiang Rai, the people, the stunning countryside, food, but the daily smell of a whole village burning their garbage and the overall bad air quality for 6 to 7 months a year were too much. You do have choices in life.

The air is good here for 9 months of the year to be honest


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[motdaeng]

11 minutes ago, KC 71 said:

The air is good here for 9 months of the year to be honest


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according to WHO, the limit for average / annual
PM2.5 is 10 µm/m3! if you look at the data from CM,
only 2 month in 6 years had acceptable air quality ...

 

 

Edited March 15, 2019 by motdaeng

[SoilSpoil]

On 3/15/2019 at 9:18 AM, KC 71 said:

The air is good here for 9 months of the year to be honest


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To be really really honest, it isn't. Only in the rainy season is the air clean in CR. Too many farmers and villagers burn fields and rubbish and plastic waste everyday. 

 

Moving my family out of the north and settling in the south, has been a tough but good decision. You only live once. Maybe in the future, when the air in CR is clean, we can return.

[simon43]

After some deliberation, I declined my job offer in CR - I decided that my health was more important than a good job offer ....

Edited March 16, 2019 by simon43

[KC 71]

I live near DoiTung so the air is cleaner than Cr Town


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[villagefarang]

This is us today. It ranks up there with some of our worst years.

 

[moontang]

3 hours ago, simon43 said:

After some deliberation, I declined my job offer in CR - I decided that my health was more important than a good job offer ....

Teaching scene is very poor up there...I used to spend a lot of time in CR and got to know it well, came close to buying a condo there, and glad I didn't.  

[sceadugenga]

14 hours ago, villagefarang said:

This is us today. It ranks up there with some of our worst years.

 

I have to agree, I've been ill so it's probably affecting me more than usual but the rain cannot come soon enough.

[sceadugenga]

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[villagefarang]

Is that you up there on the zip-line scea?

[sceadugenga]

I don't think I've ever seen it in use.

[Randell]

6 hours ago, sceadugenga said:

I have to agree, I've been ill so it's probably affecting me more than usual but the rain cannot come soon enough.

Yes I too have had some different health issues  this year and it is affecting me far more this year that other before. But I have to agree with VF it is an unusually bad year with all the local mountainside forest fire along with the usual burning. But from radar pictures it seem to me more hot spots in Burma as well. Not pointing fingers just observing we make plenty of our own smoke. Education and enforcement just have been working. At least with the model their using at the moment. I hate to see people have to turn away the this part of the country as it has so much to offer but it is our current reality.

,ps VF thanks for the shot as usual your photographic skill are amazing to me

[Somporn2019]

The air quality is bad bad bad  for about 4-6 months a year now .

Mostly all my friends d's are gone and never come back here  Chiangrai is bad realy bad  farmers burn them self to dead almost every house burn garbage day by day  .

I'm force to sale my house and go away to 

It's sad forget about North of Thailand .

[villagefarang]

Some of the numbers people post get pretty ridiculous at times.  I have read 4-6 or even 8-10, I fully expect someone to proclaim our air is bad bad bad bad bad bad bad 13-14 months a year.  I will acknowledged three months but usually not everyday.  A spot of rain clears things up for a few days and then it gets bad again.  I wish it were not this way but I am certainly not leaving.

[at15]

rain is not effective against pm2.5. a massive heavy down pour of rain will only reduce it 5-10%.

the reality is the air is terrible anywhere in northern thailand for the majority of the year. same applies to the northeast as well. the only place somewhat decent is south of thailand. but even they are in danger some of the year because of the increase in burning nowadays in indonesia. 

Edited November 30, 2019 by at15

[damascase]

December hasn’t even started and air quality is deteriorating already. Riding around CR I see - and smell - a lot of burning. The smell is quite strong already. I hope it doesn’t mean that March/April 2020 will be as bad as they were this year, or I might be forced to leave for health reasons.......