Northerners urged to stay indoors - Chiang Mai named world’s most polluted city for two days running

[NanLaew]

On 3/14/2019 at 1:57 AM, ianf said:

Its not just the idiots burning the mountains. It's the local Goverment burning kilometre after kilometre of roadside verges. When doing so they also burn tons of waste material - mainly plastics - throwing toxins into the air. On a number of occasions Ive seen these beautifully designed no burning posters by the side of the road put up by local government workers. Two weeks later the same people are burning the verges and the posters they've just put up.

Another guilty party is the Northern Thai Sports Authority who have built an incinerator just behind the velodrome. Off course there are no scrubbers in the stacks. And the fuel they use is wood. So they burn the plastic waste using wood as the fuel. Wood cannot reach the required 1000 degree temperatures that you need to eliminate toxins. So what happens? This acrid smoke is blown across the sports stadium and the local school.

Do these people ever think before doing anything?

Yes, once they've got shot of all those pesky forest-squatting country bumpkins with their slash and burn mentality and sanctioned all those irresponsible local government verge burners, then they can pop over the border and start taking out all those damned Burmese tree burners as well, eh?

 

 

PS: Udon Thani town looks nice this time of year, no?

[Prissana Pescud]

On 3/14/2019 at 3:58 AM, A1Str8 said:

Its actually unbelievable, what these people do to their precious land.

What you say is true.

But.

All ancient agrarian cultures have burned the land.

This clears the land of stubble and weeds.

It fertilizes the soil, awaiting the rain to plant rice or whatever.

Now more land is under open plain agriculture.

The forest has been cleared. There is more land to be burned in the dry season.

And because the poor rice farmers cannot afford the machines to dig the stubble into the soil, they burn it.

Because the poor rice farmers cannot afford fertilizer, they burn. QED 

 

[cmsally]

Corn fed smoke haze

 

There seems to be no mention of agricultural details in any official rhetoric. The more you look at the research, the more it points to increase in corn production.

[cmsally]

As recently as last October (yes October 2018!), the govt have been pushing for an increase in corn production.

 

corn growing promotion scheme

 

Something akin to throwing most of Northern Thailand on the bonfire! Interestingly I also saw an article that said contracts had been cancelled in Mae Chaem because of past pollution problems. This is an area that seems to have relatively less high readings than other areas this year.

[Samuel Smith]

7 minutes ago, cmsally said:

As recently as last October (yes October 2018!), the govt have been pushing for an increase in corn production.

 

corn growing promotion scheme

 

Something akin to throwing most of Northern Thailand on the bonfire! Interestingly I also saw an article that said contracts had been cancelled in Mae Chaem because of past pollution problems. This is an area that seems to have relatively less high readings than other areas this year.

Corn Production takes too long to type.  Best to abbreviate it & use just the initials ???? 

[puukao]

I see parents with their kids.....20 baht soup but now their kids might have lung problems forever.  parents don't seem to care.  

 

old people come to save money but now die of black lung.  

 

everybody says this year will be different.  really low IQ.  

 

CM ranked best city in the world.... everyone goes!!!  then black lung!!!!  

 

thanks for playing.  cough cough

[cmsally]

2 minutes ago, Samuel Smith said:

Corn Production takes too long to type.  Best to abbreviate it & use just the initials ???? 

You mean like CP-818 ??

The hybrid strain that made second crop maize growing "take off".

Optimum planting Nov-Dec , and then takes about 3 months until cultivation, and surprise surprise you would be burning off the residue in about March. Who would have guessed!

[marquis22]

On 3/14/2019 at 11:21 AM, THAIJAMES said:

This is completely true!  So many people in Thailand think they are safe indoors just because everything is closed.

 

And they cannot see the smoke in a confined space compared to viewing it over a longer distance/horizon. "So the smoke is not in my backyard khun crap"

[kekalot]

On 3/14/2019 at 7:31 AM, isaantom said:

Everybody talks about Chiang Mai or Mae Hong Son.

What about other regions with the same or even worse pollution?

just going to leave this here..

 

[Banana7]

Come to Pattaya - the air is fresh and a lot cleaner

[HaleySabai]

On 3/14/2019 at 7:38 AM, THAIJAMES said:

If you live in Thailand get an air filter and on bad days stay inside.  Seal your room as much as you can.

 

Wear a N95 or similar mask when outside.  

 

A lot of us have measured the air quality inside and outside.  The particles are so tiny that they come in even through the smallest cracks. 

 

I spent a lot of time sealing my rooms to prevent leakage and pollution from the outside but still some still gets in.

 

how do you deal with Co2?

[HaleySabai]

On 3/15/2019 at 10:31 AM, cmsally said:

 Interestingly I also saw an article that said contracts had been cancelled in Mae Chaem because of past pollution problems. This is an area that seems to have relatively less high readings than other areas this year.

yes, that is interesting. A few years back I rode the 1263 /1088 route that sweeps through Mae Chem and I could not believe my eyes. There was hardly a hill that wasn't razed,virtually everywhere was in some stage of cultivation. The area was clearly a budding enviro. and eco. disaster zone.

Apparently the tribes of the area have taken the bait from BiG Agro(CP) for contract farming, corn being the leading cash crop....so with Big Biz turning the wheel who then had the clout to "cancel contracts" ....seems very odd considering the way things work here.

 

[cmsally]

Corn fed smoke haze

 

This article seems to suggest that CP ended contracts in Mae Chaem because of the spotlight on the area during a haze crisis. a few years back.

[cmsally]

Then we have an article praising Mae Chaem for their initiative in reducing burning. But the above suggests CP cancelled contracts because they were highlighted.

District a model for success

 

Quote

95,000 tonnes of farm waste – 60,000 tonnes of which came from corn plantations

clearly a massive amount of waste burned comes from corn production