Advertorial Chiang Mai Overtakes Bangkok in Air Pollution Index

[ASEAN NOW Sales]

Chiang Mai Overtakes Bangkok in Air Pollution Index

 

Bangkok’s second wave of smog this year seems to be lifting but don’t be too eager to remove your mask yet; it could get worse in the coming weeks.

 

Last week, AirVisual.com said Bangkok was the 2nd most polluted city in the world. It has since slipped down to the 30s and is now surpassed by Chiang Mai. However, Chiang Mai’s pollution usually comes from its annual burning season when the rice fields are razed for fertility, around March and April each year. We’re not 100% sure why Chiang Mai’s air is worse than Bangkok’s right now but we have a couple of theories.

 

Inevitably some will claim that Bangkok is responsible for producing the smog cloud over Chiang Mai, but it’s easy to dismiss this as far-fetched. Bangkok was built on marshy ground only 1.5 metres above sea level, Chiang Mai sits atop a mountainous valley 310 metres above sea level. It’s almost certainly not the case that Bangkok’s smog has drifted northward and been carried uphill, only to rest so precisely upon another populous city. Chiang Mai is polluting itself.

 

The only remaining question is what is causing Chiang Mai’s smog outside of burning season? The answer is probably from burning something other than fields; trash, the same thing that’s causing Bangkok’s smog. According to a Bangkok Post article trash burning was to blame for the miasma that consumed Chiang Mai in March 2015, despite it also being the beginning of burning season. Thailand is also reliant on fossil fuels for power production, the combustion of which could also be another contributing factor to the pollution. Lastly and most obviously, we also have to take into account the pollution caused by traffic.

 

Chiang Mai’s lack of a BTS or MRT system means that almost all domestic transport is petrol or diesel-powered, but we assume that the rate of this pollution is fairly consistent and should be seen as a contributor to the spike in air pollution rather than the cause.

 

It takes no great leap of the imagination to see why these are the most probable causes but why would people choose to burn trash at a time of year when the air is notoriously bad? Probably because they felt it would be less noticeable in the fug of the smouldering rice fields, as people know what to expect and many temporarily vacate the city. Instead, it actually caused more outrage than anything else because it spiked the city’s air pollution index, endangered drivers and smelled noticeably worse.

 

Unfortunately if you’re currently in Bangkok or Chiang Mai the worst is far from over; AirVisual.com’s pollution forecast looks grim for both cities, with Chiang Mai’s air quality stabilising but Bangkok’s worsening significantly. If you haven’t purchased a mask already then you’ll still get plenty of mileage out of one if you buy it now; it’s far from too late. And even if the current pollution wave ends abruptly it will inevitably return again next year.

 

We only recommend masks with the PM2.5 standard (PM refers to ‘particulate matter’, 2.5 is the measurement of the particles in micrometers), as their filters are fine enough to prevent the inhalation of dirt too small for cheap masks to filter. The 3M M95 respirator is one example of a mask that claims to filter PM2.5 particles, something that your average 7-eleven surgical mask won’t do.

 

If you don’t own a mask already then we recommend ordering one from Lazada, as it will arrive in a matter of days and it’s something that you need urgently. Aliexpress in our experience is cheaper but far slower, with some items taking over 6 weeks to arrive.

 

If you already own an appropriate mask then there’s still more you can do to protect yourself from these harmful particles: install additional filters on your air conditioning units and only go outside when necessary.

 

This post is brought to you by DeeMoney, Thailand’s payment provider. Exchange and send money to 14 countries, register via our app, website or in store. DeeMoney currently has four Bangkok-based currency exchanges but more are on the horizon.

 

Send money to Australia, Bangladesh,  Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam from just 150 baht per transaction plus an exchange fee.

[ThaiPauly]

Really awful having to hear about smog in October, bad enough come February.

 

But it's something we have to live with .

 

I just wish I had chosen somewhere else to retire

[Destiny1990]

Happy there are re-usable bags nowadays available so people can use them for face masks.

[Thailand]

It's burning plain and simple. Burning everything in sight,starting earlier each year.

Chiang Mai 2020 is going to be worse than last year as all the talking will do nothing.

 

STOP THE BURNING!

 

A clue for the authorities, this is what it looks like. You can even see it at night!

 

[kirbi53]

I see it is 74 here where i live in the north near Chiang Mai 

 

lets blame Indonesia ????

 

[brommers]

Such articles are rapidly overtaken by events. Today, Wednesday, Bangkok is 40th globally & Chiang Mai is 60th at 9:30 am. But all could change with a shift in wind and precipitation patterns.

 

More to the point is the complete lack of any actions by the Chiang Mai administrations. The apparently now ex Governor, who presided over the 2018 catastrophic provincial performance seems to have recently visited Shanghai to study clean rooms! Apart from it being a nice vacation there can be nothing that was learned that will reduce the pollution. Instead it was merely learning how to close door after the horse has bolted. There are no cogent plants to reduce the sources of the pollution so we will see another lengthy dangerous air period very soon and an increasing exodus of residents, not only farangs but Thai. And this will further damage the tourism appeal of this city and region.

 

The future seems gloomy. Once again the government will fiddle while CM burns and the health of millions will be badly affected. Eventually there will be a backlash to this wilfull neglect, but sadly not before more years have passed.

[Captain 776]

Thank you for sailing with Thai Visa.

 

This is your Captain speaking:
 

Thanks for baiting the Trap(s).

 

Now we will have the climate change antifas posting every day about air quality.

 

Isnt daily TM-30 postings enough?

 

Not trolling........at times of the year the air pollution in Chiang Mai goes up...........you have only 2 choices

1.) wear a mask or whatever you like and endure it.

2.) leave.....relocate to bluer skies.........none of the exits have locks on them.

 

Or you can be one of the endless daily complainers posting about air quality.........it may boost your ego when you hit POST..........but does nothing to change the problem.

 

Enjoy every day and dont concern with what you have zero power change.

[Thailand]

1 minute ago, Captain 776 said:

Thank you for sailing with Thai Visa.

 

This is your Captain speaking:
 

Thanks for baiting the Trap(s).

 

Now we will have the climate change antifas posting every day about air quality.

 

Isnt daily TM-30 postings enough?

 

Not trolling........at times of the year the air pollution in Chiang Mai goes up...........you have only 2 choices

1.) wear a mask or whatever you like and endure it.

2.) leave.....relocate to bluer skies.........none of the exits have locks on them.

 

Or you can be one of the endless daily complainers posting about air quality.........it may boost your ego when you hit POST..........but does nothing to change the problem.

 

Enjoy every day and dont concern with what you have zero power change.

I don't think TM30's are potential killers.  The smog can be fixed,I know it, you know ,government knows it, if there was actually a will, sadly there is not.

And even us lowly Farangs have the power to change things, particularly as this problem affects the locals just as much and they do not have "if you don't like leave" type options. 

[toofarnorth]

Surely it must be far too early for smog , north of Chiang Rai right now and beautiful clear blue skies ...however , this was 3 pm on a Feb. day earlier this year .  It will be here again no doubt whatever a Gov. official might say.

[elgenon]

Is there a correlation between how polluted it is and how difficult the immigration department is?

 

It should be an inverse relationship. Please come and breathe our Thai air and take it home.

 

Yes, this is tongue in cheek. Khun khao jai mai krup?

[Rimmer]

A troll post has been removed

[George Aylesham]

•  
• 
• Advanced Members
• 4,527
• 5,404 posts

• Report post
•  
•  #4

Posted 5 hours ago

Happy there are re-usable bags nowadays available so people can use them for face masks.

Use a plastic bag as a face mask will certainly avoid any further need to buy a proper face mask as you will be dead - asphyxiated.

[Destiny1990]

1 hour ago, George Aylesham said:

•  
• 
• Advanced Members
• 4,527
• 5,404 posts

• Report post
•  
•  #4

Posted 5 hours ago

Happy there are re-usable bags nowadays available so people can use them for face masks.

Use a plastic bag as a face mask will certainly avoid any further need to buy a proper face mask as you will be dead - asphyxiated.

The thing with Re-usable environment friendly bags are that they are Not made from plastic.

My point was why care about reusable shopping bags if the air we breathe here is polluted  with smoke? And why you even report my post? The fact that u failed to understand it is only ur own fault due to poor knowledge!

Edited October 16, 2019 by Destiny1990

[mok199]

Immagration has just announced ( after a recent study revealed a link between air quality and memory loss) they will now except '' I was exposed to toxic air'' as an excuse for overstay....

Edited October 17, 2019 by mok199

[jackdd]

On 10/15/2019 at 4:14 PM, ThaivisaSales said:

We’re not 100% sure why Chiang Mai’s air is worse than Bangkok’s right now but we have a couple of theories.

Because burning forests, fields and trash is not limited to March to Mai

 

This was last week, in Mae Suai, Chiang Rai, burning forests and fields over many kilometers, as well as people burning stuff behind their houses.

It's not easy to see from the video, but the smoke was as dense as in Chiang Mai this year in April.

I passed a police checkpoint on the way, so i asked an officer there about this burning. His answer was that currently burning is allowed, so there is nothing the police can do.

 

 

Edited October 18, 2019 by jackdd

[Prairieboy]

On 10/15/2019 at 4:14 PM, ThaivisaSales said:

Chiang Mai Overtakes Bangkok in Air Pollution Index

We are proud to announce that we are now #1

[WeekendRaider]

it's what? almost impossible to imagine eh? let alone accept?

 

example.  July 2019 was the hottest month ever recorded.

 

too simple.  higher temps and less rain overall... isn't "real" enough eh?

 

 

[WinnieTheKhwai]

This is complete fake news..  The site mentioned has a world city ranking that compares numbes for a full year, with averages per month shown.  It's here: 

 

https://www.airvisual.com/world-most-polluted-cities  

 

Several places in Thailand are worse than Chiang Mai over a one year period, including Bangkok and Chonburi (Pattaya) and others.

 

That's 2018 data though, I bet the North will not be doing as well for 2019 which had a very bad hazy season.

 

 

I bet you do. ????    Why don't you not tell us about it. 

 

Everyone here is very familiar with AirVisual, Air4Thai, AqiCN, etc.  Thank you.

 

Also, don't move to Pattaya, Laos or Vietnam. 

 

Edited November 8, 2019 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Langkawee]

White men will tell you they are living in paradise. It is the town of choice for the mentally ill. After all who woukd choose to live in a sh%tehole that will make them prematurely die. 

[tabarin]

30 minutes ago, Langkawee said:

White men will tell you they are living in paradise. It is the town of choice for the mentally ill. After all who woukd choose to live in a sh%tehole that will make them prematurely die. 

Wonder what town you talk about as the pollution is as bad in Khon Kaen and Udon Thani, basically everywhere except in the south. 
Only difference for the north (CM and CR etc too) is the extreme peak measurements. All year round average BKK and Khon Kaen are still worse.

[Cheesekraft]

congratulations! 

[kurtmartens]

Our landlord has started burning her garden trimmings now - and of course the smoke flows right from her yard into our house.  

 

I am sure we will be sending the kids to school soon with masks on; last year there were several days they stayed home due to the smoke.  I love living in Chiang Mai, but this part of the year really makes it miserable.  Sadly the Thais really don't seem to care - even when it affects their own health (or their wallets).  

[kurtmartens]

On 11/8/2019 at 10:15 PM, tabarin said:

Wonder what town you talk about as the pollution is as bad in Khon Kaen and Udon Thani, basically everywhere except in the south. 
Only difference for the north (CM and CR etc too) is the extreme peak measurements. All year round average BKK and Khon Kaen are still worse.

Chiang Rai as well - we saw it last month driving back to Chiang Mai.  I would venture to agree with you 100% and even say its likely all of the Northeast.

[kurtmartens]

On 11/8/2019 at 9:44 PM, Langkawee said:

White men will tell you they are living in paradise. 

Okay Tonto.  

 

Hi ho Silver away!

[banagan]

Too many uneducated locals who will never understand how dangerous the pollution is for them and their family.

 

Maybe in a few generations they'll wise up.

 

[garyk]

On 10/15/2019 at 9:44 PM, Captain 776 said:

Thank you for sailing with Thai Visa.

 

This is your Captain speaking:
 

Thanks for baiting the Trap(s).

 

Now we will have the climate change antifas posting every day about air quality.

 

Isnt daily TM-30 postings enough?

 

Not trolling........at times of the year the air pollution in Chiang Mai goes up...........you have only 2 choices

1.) wear a mask or whatever you like and endure it.

2.) leave.....relocate to bluer skies.........none of the exits have locks on them.

 

Or you can be one of the endless daily complainers posting about air quality.........it may boost your ego when you hit POST..........but does nothing to change the problem.

 

Enjoy every day and dont concern with what you have zero power change.

You are now officially 100 Thai.  Haha