Chiang Mai remains most air-polluted city in world

[rooster59]

Chiang Mai remains most air-polluted city in world

By The Nation

 

 

Chiang Mai on Saturday remained the most air-polluted city in the world for the second consecutive day, according to the AirVisual.com website.

 

AirVisual reported at 9.13am that the air quality index (AQI) of Chiang Mai on Saturday stood at 385, much higher than the 100 AQI safety standard.

 

The northern capital has been covered with white smog for almost two weeks, prompting Chiang Mai residents to wear N95 air-filter marks outdoors.

 

The Chiang Mai University, the Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna and Chiang Mai provincial administration confirmed that the air quality in the city remained critical.

The three agencies had 86 stations to measure air quality of the northern capital and found that all stations recorded brown and purple zones, meaning the air quality remained hazardous to health.

 

They found the worst air quality was in Mae Taeng district with a PM2.5 level of 443 micrograms per cubic metre (mcg). PM2.5 means airborne particulates 2.5 microns or less in diameter.

 

Doi Saket district was found to have the least PM.5 level or 204mcg, which was still hazardous to health.

 

The website of the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency reported Saturday that its VIIRS satellite spotted 586 hotspots from forest burning in the North.

 

It reported that 162 hotspots were detected in Mae Hong Son, 91 in Chiang Rai, 69 in Chiang Mai, 79 in Nan, 55 in Prae, 55 in Phayao, 52 in Lampang, 14 in Tak and 9 in Lamphun.

 

The high level of haze in Chiang Rai reportedly stemmed from the many forest fires, both in the province and from nearby areas.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30366358

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-253

 

[SoilSpoil]

Something to be proud of Thailand. 

[Topdoc]

52 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

The website of the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency reported Saturday that its VIIRS satellite spotted 586 hotspots from forest burning in the North.

So the average number of fires spotted each day has risen substantially in the past few days leading to Chiang Mai regaining its number 1 position

[Classic Ray]

Latest reading from Chiang Mai. To put this  in perspective, I have multiple air purifiers installed and still cannot get the AQI better than 70. We are trapped at home as I don’t want to poison my children any more. Visibility is down to a couple of hundred metres.

 

I hope the voters in tomorrow’s election bear in mind the neglect of the current government in failing to deal with this issue. There are no fire prevention activities at all, no pressure being put on big businesses or hill tribes or adjacent countries to stop burning forests and fields, and no encouragement to use alternative agricultural practices.

 

This is just one of the issues not being dealt with whilst action seems to concentrate on the retention of power, stifling opposition and generally making foreigners and dissenters feel unwelcome.

 

Come on Thailand, start exercising real Thainess and sort your society out to bring happiness to all people who live and work here.

[cardinalblue]

Hate to say it guys but it feels good psychologically and physically to be out of there when I see numbers like today....I feel bad for my dogs....

 

just remember, as some posters pointed out, it’s just a passing fancy and a small price to pay to be able to pick fruit and be close to nature...

[Happystance]

15 minutes ago, cardinalblue said:

just remember, as some posters pointed out, it’s just a passing fancy and a small price to pay to be able to pick fruit and be close to nature...

Health is just a passing fancy. 

CM air quality, however, only hits acceptable levels 3-4 months of the year now.

And that is hardly a passing fancy.

 

Sickness is a huge price to pay.

Got any other witty retorts for us?

 

[cardinalblue]

I think this went over your head...maybe you have been coughing and haven’t had the time to read the two previous CM air pollution threads....

 

AP is defenseless period 

[malibukid]

hope your proud TAT

[Thailand]

All the the ministers, governors and all those in power should be ashamed that this dreadful situation is allowed to continue unabated.

But I doubt if they are.

[connda]

3 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Chiang Mai remains most air-polluted city in world

But don't sweat it.  The government in Bangkok says it's not a problem.  "Lift rug, sweep, drop rug, claim success!" 

[Captain_Bob]

Glimmer of hope for next week. 10% is better than nothing ????

[Genmai]

2 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

Come on Thailand, start exercising real Thainess

You're mistaken - you're witnessing the real Thainess right now

[Max77]

2 hours ago, Classic Ray said:

Latest reading from Chiang Mai. To put this  in perspective, I have multiple air purifiers installed and still cannot get the AQI better than 70. We are trapped at home as I don’t want to poison my children any more. Visibility is down to a couple of hundred metres.

 

I hope the voters in tomorrow’s election bear in mind the neglect of the current government in failing to deal with this issue. There are no fire prevention activities at all, no pressure being put on big businesses or hill tribes or adjacent countries to stop burning forests and fields, and no encouragement to use alternative agricultural practices.

 

This is just one of the issues not being dealt with whilst action seems to concentrate on the retention of power, stifling opposition and generally making foreigners and dissenters feel unwelcome.

 

Come on Thailand, start exercising real Thainess and sort your society out to bring happiness to all people who live and work here.

Exercise real thainess ?  ???????????? this IS REAL thainess

[Max77]

Real thainess ????????

[Saladin]

With the dangerous levels of air pollution we have endured in recent weeks, surely it is time to think outside the square. Obviously the best solution to getting rid of crop residue is to turn it over, back into the soil to become fertiliser but this requires equipment that small farmers cannot afford. Burning is cheap but disastrous. 

 

As they will eat anything why couldn't goats be employed ? They would cost nothing to maintain, would return the nutrients to the soil, and would bring in additional income from milk and cheese, hides and meat.

 

 

[Samuel Smith]

25 minutes ago, Saladin said:

 

As they will eat anything why couldn't goats be employed ? They would cost nothing to maintain, would return the nutrients to the soil, and would bring in additional income from milk and cheese, hides and meat.

 

 

Goats in the forests eating leaf litter would be great.  Easy to find the mushrooms.  No need to burn ???? 

 

Unless the goats eat the mushrooms!

Edited March 23, 2019 by Samuel Smith

[Pravda]

Nothing worry, pollution good for Thai people more dark sleep more

[hotchilli]

As it will do while spraying water in the air is the official response !

[mok199]

Integrity , the newest catch phrase, somehow seems blurry or is it just the smog.

[AlexRich]

I feel for any child growing up in Chiang Mai ... this pollution will reduce their life expectancy as well as their quality of life growing up. It would be a national emergency and major scandal in the West ... wake up Thailand.

[cardinalblue]

Do you know how many goats would be needed to cover all the burned areas now?

 

arent enough goats in the world....and then one has to take care of them....we don’t need soi goats running around

[Thunder26]

Pollution of 500 in Chiang mai is outrageous. People are breathing poison there, even Bangkok had a red alert all day long today. Strangely enough it is not talked in the news as it was talked before. There was no real action taken by the government, no real plan. Burning is still happening, diesel car manufacturing is still continuing and so on and so forth.

[Sambotte]

They do something... They ban smokers from many places, like airport ????

 

Pollution is a way bigger problem (and kills MORE than cigarettes, and is totally passive-not a choice), but as usual mankind prefer to target some scapegoat, and to not deal with real problem (like climate change for example too).

NOT specific to Thailand i must say honestly !

 

For the massive and increasing pollution in the North, the ONLY way things would change is IF tourists stop going there when it happens. Money loss = reaction, that's for sure.

But tourists don't know or don't care yet.

Media and forum like here could change that if people wanted it.

[elephant45]

It will never improve. As long as crappy diesel trucks spew filth into the air, and more polluting companies move into a very contained valley, CM is doomed. A little pay off at the transport department means more pollution. Yes, the seasonal burning is hell, but it is not not the core problem. There is not one month of the year that CM is now livable. I left some time back and now do not cough, have much less general illness, sleep better and have generally better health. A few years ago when I was selling my condo all the real estate agents told me they could hardly sell anything which I thought was BS, but now believe to be true. We all know things rarely change for the better.

[madmen]

4 minutes ago, elephant45 said:

It will never improve. As long as crappy diesel trucks spew filth into the air, and more polluting companies move into a very contained valley, CM is doomed. A little pay off at the transport department means more pollution. Yes, the seasonal burning is hell, but it is not not the core problem. There is not one month of the year that CM is now livable. I left some time back and now do not cough, have much less general illness, sleep better and have generally better health. A few years ago when I was selling my condo all the real estate agents told me they could hardly sell anything which I thought was BS, but now believe to be true. We all know things rarely change for the better.

A real estate agent telling you they cant sell your place..That will be the day! (Think about it) you must have been drinking

[AlexRich]

3 hours ago, madmen said:

A real estate agent telling you they cant sell your place..That will be the day! (Think about it) you must have been drinking

 

You've obviously never used Chernobyl Realty?

 

[Vacuum]

9 hours ago, elephant45 said:

There is not one month of the year that CM is now livable.

Rubbish, unless you have a severe medical condition.

[sfokevin]

On 3/23/2019 at 8:43 PM, cardinalblue said:

Do you know how many goats would be needed to cover all the burned areas now?

 

arent enough goats in the world....and then one has to take care of them....we don’t need soi goats running around

My guess is that goats would eat the mushrooms too... 

[elephant45]

I sold my condo for a decent price. More than I thought I could get for it.

 

If you want to remain in that trash hole be my guest, heat, pollution, traffic , gangs of wild dogs have at it.

 

I have bought and sold many places and am not foolish when it comes real estate knowledge.

 

Check out how many empty condos there are in CM.

 

CM used to be a beautiful place 20 years ago but not anymore.

[elephant45]

By the way the Real Estate Agent represents the seller not the buyer or therefore they want to get more for the condo. Some one commenting doesn't understand real estate and the other comments sound angry about the horrific toxic conditions they live in. Air purifiers, Masks etc etc.