Authorities To Get Tough On Outdoor Burning

[george]

NORTHERN SMOG CRISIS

Authorities to get tough on outdoor burning

Evacuation mulled for those in hard-hit areas; fire-fighters rounded up to assist

CHIANG MAI: -- Residents will be evacuated from any area in Mae Hong Son, which has an air quality index (AQI) value of 300, Mae Hong Son governor Direk Konkleep said yesterday.

The town on the far northern Thai-Burma border has since reported dust particles smaller than 10 microns at 340 micrograms per square metre (mpsm) or an AQI value of 195.

The governor inspected water spraying in the city area yesterday aimed at adding humidity to the air. He said the evacuation contingency was in addition to regulations that make landlords and land occupiers accountable for fires in the area and that heavy fines would be imposed for outdoor burning.

However, he did not elaborate on details about the planned evacuations, or which areas people might be moved to.

The worsening air quality in Mae Hong Son prompted Deputy Prime Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham, who is in charge of the crisis at the national level, to ask the National Park, Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department to urgently dispatch more forest fire fighters to the area.

The Pollution Control Department (PCD) reported yesterday that Mae Hong Son now measured dust particles smaller than 10 microns at 340 mpsm, while Chiang Mai Civil Service Complex measured dust particles at 148 mpsm. Downtown Yupparat School had 141 mpsm.

The PCD said the quality of air in the Northwest - except for Lampang, which rated 91 mpsm - still contained higher-than-standard amounts of fine-particle dust.

Chiang Mai city council has said it will come down hard on anyone who lights fires outdoors, in a bid to tackle the air pollution that has blanketed the area since March 1. This follows the government's declaration on Monday for Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son to be declared disaster zones.

The provincial governor now has Bt50 million in emergency funds to reduce the problem.

Deputy Mayor Praphan Buranuprakorn told a press conference yesterday the municipality had discussed the problem and would emphasise a tougher crackdown against "outdoor burners", including much heavier fines.

It also launched legal and public health measures along with a public relations campaign. This includes erecting signs warning against outdoor burning at eight main roads, establishing an air pollution control centre, setting up checkpoints to arrest "black-smoke" vehicles, toughening dust control at construction sites, opening all water springs, and collecting brushwood for fertiliser production instead of burning.

Legal measures include a March 16 municipality announcement asking for residents' "full co-operation" in controlling air pollution.

The public health measure comprises handing out anti-dust masks, setting up a medical unit to treat respiratory patients 24 hours a day at Chiang Mai Municipal Hospital, and dispatching a mobile medical unit every Thursday to treat the sick free-of-charge. The number of Chiang Mai residents admitted to state

hospitals for pollution-related illnesses had reached 9,318.

The royal rain-making operation Centre 1 established a special unit to tackle the smog yesterday. As the humidity had now risen to 50 per cent, the centre's director Somchai Reungsurinareuparp said the centre would continue with three flights a day to sow rain-inducing chemicals.

Environment Office Region 1 director Apiwat Khunarak, said Chiang Mai had at least 1,000 crematoriums, but only 20 per cent were smoke-free. He said locals were not interested in building environmentally-friendly crema-toriums because they cost up to Bt4 million each.

--The Nation 2007-03-21

[Moruya]

The current authorities are a joke. They talk the talk but fall significantly short of walking the walk. They have been threatening to get tough for too long whilst doing nothing. If there was the slightest possibility that Thaksin had started these fires, we'd have had arrests, assets confistcated, the army deployed and half the sea from the Gulf of Thailand dumped on the fires.

It's the same with the airport. We get all this hot air about fixing the problems and sorting out the fire exits but the main exits once you come through customs are still locked forcing you go go right or left. The area is far too overcrowded with nobody clearing the way. The road access outside is constantly blocked with 3 lanes of parking and sometimes even 4. If there is a fire or bomb there the casualties will be huge. The fire department and ambulances, if there are any, will not be able to get near.

[Scott]

When will they get 'tough', when the rains start?

[KhunDennis]

I see the police ( get tough ) all the time, setting under thier canapy along the highway, and checking all the car registrations and motor bikes. Looks like pretty tough work to me. They do have to go all the way accros the highway from the station and set up thier chairs and all.

I am sure they must have a good view of the huge coloms of smoke coming up a short distance away, but who am I to judge, these over worked public servents. Besides they might get thier uniforms soiled, if they took a look.

[cdnvic]

Just once I'd like them to get tough then report on it, not make grand announcements that don't get followed up on.

[leisurely]

It would be nice if they got tough in Bangkok too. There is someone who appears to be burning tyres living behind us

[PeaceBlondie]

In the West, people are afraid to lose face because all public convictions are publicized to the public.

Imagine having the police blotter published in the Thai newspapers: "Khun Poo-yai Ratshit Pawsawanka was fined 1,800 baht in municipal court yesterday, for allowing his servants to burn refuse. Ajarn Wawana na-Ayouranutter was fined 98,400 baht and put in the common jail for six days because she threw trash out of her Bentley...."

After all, Ted Kennedy will never live down the drowning at Chappaquidick, and Bill Clinton will not outlive our memories of getting pleasured by Monica Lewinski....

[65Craig]

"The provincial governor now has Bt50 million in emergency funds to reduce the problem."

Great!!! I wonder where this money is going to go. As the first rains come, the Provincial Governor is driving around in his 2007 spankin' new Mercedes stating he has fixed the pollution problem. Anyway, it's sad because my fiance is from Mae Sai and teaches here in Chiang Mai... So this is our home. For once like the rest of you, instead of talking tough, some actions rather than words are in order. I went up to Mae Sai last week in the height of all this mess, and was apalled to see on my bus ride up and back at least 30 people outside burning leaves, garbage, etc.. As one of you mentioned, not even 200 yards from some of those ID checkpoints. Wouldn't you think it would behoove one of those cops to walk down the road and force the people to put out those fires... Guess that is too much effort to ask of a public servant though!!! Crazy thing is, those guys are the ones who in twenty years will be suffering the most from this (emphysema and lung cancer). I mean they just sit there all day breathing this ST in. Anyway, for once I hope I'm wrong and they do something to make a change.

[KhunDennis]

I started to get a little hopefully this afternoon. You could actually see a green cast, to the distant hills. Have not been able to see that in a while.

But sure as clockwork, at dusk, came three very big Smokey fires, which blocked out everything with a curtain of smoke.

The fairly large police station, is just on the highway not five min. from any one of them. I have been meaning to get in my car and see what they are burning sometime, but you know I have really lost interest, and not really my business since I am an outsider here anyway.

[Pepe']

When will they get 'tough', when the rains start?

LOL, now that's entertainment...