Smog on the horizon – but assurance offered about public health

[snoop1130]

Smog on the horizon – but assurance offered about public health

By Pratch Rujivanarom 
The Nation

 

 

Rising PM2.5 levels in the Deep South are the signal for the start of the hazy season in the Southern part of Asean, Pollution Control Department (PCD) director-general Pralong Dumrongthai revealed on Monday.

 

However, the authorities were already well prepared to cope with the seasonal smog in the South, he said on Monday, as the PCD has been closely corroborating with the Public Health Ministry and Interior Ministry to warn the public about it and prevent people’s health being impacted.

 

“The dry season has already started in Indonesia, so we expect that the smog season in Southern Asean is about to begin,” he said.

 

“Because this year is an arid El Nino year, we estimate that the Southern cross-border smog will be severe this season, similar to the Northern smog earlier this year, so the authorities have already prepared how to handle the air pollution problem.”

 

He said his Department had installed new PM2.5 measuring stations in the Southern provinces, such as in Yala’s Betong District, in order to accurately monitor the air quality in that area and allow staff to speedily warn people when PM2.5 levels rise dangerously.

 

“We are coordinating with the local authorities and Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department to make sure that local people are aware of the air quality situation and prevent any outdoor burning activities in the local areas, which can worsen the air quality,” he said.

 

“We are also working with the Public Health Ministry to raise public understanding on how to protect themselves from air pollution.”

 

He said authorities had learned lessons from this year PM2.5 crisis in Bangkok and the Northern Region, so officers fully understood the problem and were ready to tackle it.

 

The PCD’s real-time PM2.5 (very fine dust particles) monitoring system has shown that levels began to rise in Yala and Songkhla’s Hat Yai District last weekend.

 

As of Monday, the PM2.5 daily average level in Yala was 28 micrograms per cubic metres of air, while PM2.5 level in Hat Yai was 34 micrograms. These daily averages are considered moderately harmful to public health, according to the World Health Organisation.

 

Although the daily averages did not exceed the PCD’s air quality safe limit of 50 micrograms, there were periods of time in both provinces that the level exceeded the safe standard – they peaked at 52 and 60 micrograms in Yala and Hat Yai respectively.

 

The air-quality monitoring website https://aqicn.org also reports that the air quality throughout the Peninsular Malaysia has also been affected by dangerously high PM2.5 levels.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30372076

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-07-01

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[connda]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

He said authorities had learned lessons from this year PM2.5 crisis in Bangkok and the Northern Region, so officers fully understood the problem and were ready to tackle it.

Where's the 'punch line?'

[edwinchester]

They may be aware of the pollution figures but as always there will be <deleted> all they can do about it.

People will continue to burn, simple as that, because the people who actually have the power to do something about the problem seem not to care.

[fullcave]

Oh yes of course the "hazy" season is upon us. After that comes "smog and noise" season and then "wear your mask even indoors" season. Thailand has three seasons you know. 

[30la]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Because this year is an arid El Nino year, we estimate that the Southern cross-border smog will be severe this season, similar to the Northern smog earlier this year, so the authorities have already prepared how to handle the air pollution problem.”

These characters should be taken over for a soap opera on television!

[30la]

41 minutes ago, fullcave said:

Oh yes of course the "hazy" season is upon us. After that comes "smog and noise" season and then "wear your mask even indoors" season. Thailand has three seasons you know. 

Be lenient, this time it's not the Thai's fault! ????

[Stocky]

Down south the smoke isn't from local Thai farmers. Agriculture in the south is primarily rubber & palm oil, with most available land already under cultivation, there's precious little left to cut and burn. It's not a rice or corn growing area, so there's no stubble to burn off.

 

The smoke comes from fires in Indonesia, both Sumatra and Kalimantan, from the clearance of forest to plant mainly palm oil. They burn the cut timber that isn't worth selling. Worse, the soil is peaty and in dry conditions it also burns and keeps burning. 

 

It's up to wind direction as to whether southern Thailand is affected or not, it's rarely that Hat Yai has a problem, the worst of the 'haze' usually stops just north of Penang. Though given it's an El Nino year the chances of peat fires will be greater, so I probably ought to stock up on N95 masks.

[DrTuner]

SEA, tourist paradise. When it's not pissing down it's hard to see through the smog.

[lannalad]

And in Indonesia, the citizens are finally fed up and are suing their government over the persistence of dangerous air pollution.  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/02/jakarta-residents-to-sue-government-over-severe-air-pollution

[DrTuner]

1 minute ago, lannalad said:

And in Indonesia, the citizens are finally fed up and are suing their government over the persistence of dangerous air pollution.  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/02/jakarta-residents-to-sue-government-over-severe-air-pollution

Not sure what they are able to do when farmers don't listen nor care. Start shooting them?

[Jonmarleesco]

On 7/1/2019 at 5:48 PM, snoop1130 said:

However, the authorities were already well prepared to cope with the seasonal smog in the South, he said on Monday, as the PCD has been closely corroborating with the Public Health Ministry and Interior Ministry to warn the public about it and prevent people’s health being impacted.

Has been what? Nice to know we can't necessarily trust what the PHM and the IM tell us. But the word you were looking for was 'collaborating'.

Edited July 2, 2019 by Jonmarleesco

[Jonmarleesco]

4 hours ago, DrTuner said:

Not sure what they are able to do when farmers don't listen nor care. Start shooting them?

YEP!

[Jonmarleesco]

On 7/1/2019 at 5:48 PM, snoop1130 said:

“We are also working with the Public Health Ministry to raise public understanding on how to protect themselves from air pollution.”

Would that include officials' hot variant?

[Jonmarleesco]

On 7/1/2019 at 5:48 PM, snoop1130 said:

'... Monday, the PM2.5 daily average level in Yala was 28 micrograms per cubic metres of air, while PM2.5 level in Hat Yai was 34 micrograms. These daily averages are considered moderately harmful to public health, according to the World Health Organisation.

 

Although the daily averages did not exceed the PCD’s air quality safe limit of 50 micrograms, there were periods of time in both provinces that the level exceeded the safe standard – they peaked at 52 and 60 micrograms in Yala and Hat Yai respectively.'

 

God Almighty! The WHO has 28mcg per cubic metre as MODERATELY HARMFUL, yet the PCD assumes almost twice that to be SAFE! Who ya gonna trust?  

[Uptooyoo]

The government's "solution" is to quantifiably measure and scientifically prove what citizens already know, that toxic air pollution is killing them. Nothing is actually being done to improve air quality. The government's feigned concern, expressed by installing air monitors, is the cheapest method to placate the populace so the wheels of industry can continue to spew, without cost, poisonous byproducts into our atmosphere, and ultimately into our bodies. The cost is shifted to the victims of lung cancer, emphysema, heart attack, etc. You bear the cost of their greed. Who gives them license to do that? The government does, the very entity that is concerned so much about you and your health.