Chiang Mai presently ‘most polluted city in world’

[Dazinoz]

35 minutes ago, moutamine said:

I pity the fools who retired there... They are running to their graves.

People live where they want for various reasons. Why does that make them fools, idiots, not smart, stupid because they chose Chiang Mai? I have lived here 7 years and its is only a small part of the year bad, but everyday many people die on the Thai roads, and, like I said in a previous comment why does any expat live anywhere in Thailand due to the number of deaths each year due to road accidents.

[malibukid]

4 hours ago, Maxwadd said:

But how much of the pollution is caused by people in chiang mai? 

It's one thing to say how bad it us but please also mention the source of the pollution 

i see a many old black smoke belching trucks and songthews. they should be tested, made compliant or junked.  the government could subsidize some of this.  more submarines.

[Ireland32]

Fire Ghost they can get pics of fires but no culprits, I wish The Kingdom would Speak

[Oldieonthedarkside]

At least somebody is measuring this in CM. Living on the "Dark Side" in Pattaya, we experience almost nightly burning of rubbish by so-called "Recycling Companies". They burn plastics, household and commercial rubbish inc. batteries, rubber, etc..., anything the cannot sell, creating the kind of toxic air that lingers for hours. Nobody here seems to care!

[malibukid]

why isn't the BBC or CNN reporting on this?  they have done segments on India?  if they did so would this jeopardize their future access to reporting on Thailand or would their broadcast be banned here? with tourist on the decline perhaps they will get religion?

Edited March 11, 2020 by malibukid

[Logosone]

2 hours ago, Antonymous said:

 

Thanks for that link.

 

Let's put things into perspective.

 

The most polluted city in the world in 2019 is in India with a PM2.5 average of 110.2.

 

The most polluted city in Thailand (Nakhon Ratchasima) only enters at number 200 on the worldwide city list with average PM2.5 in all of 2019 recorded as 42.2.

 

Saraphi (a district south of Chiang Mai city) ranks #216 with 2019 AVG 41.3.

 

Chiang Mai itself ranks #357 in the world with average PM2.5 of 32.2.

 

 

 

Thanks for clarifying this.

 

So Chiang Mai enters at position 372, so the 372nd most polluted city.

 

So basically this thread is fake news. Taking a snapshot of one day as opposed to the annual figure clearly does not give an accurate reading.

[meshborg]

Too think when I used to holiday there I was more worried about the suicidal traffic and zero hygiene everywhere.haha.

[Jane Dough]

The Rose of the North.

 

How sad.

 

Rooster

[schvonsky1]

22 hours ago, Cheesekraft said:

congratulations! Two years running #1! 

Get ya self ther breathe that beautiful air ????????????????????????????????????????????

[schvonsky1]

36 minutes ago, malibukid said:

i see a many old black smoke belching trucks and songthews. they should be tested, made compliant or junked.  the government could subsidize some of this.  more submarines.

Nah they don’t want to know about that thai government  don’t give a dam a They own folk and especially us Falangs that why they county is foooked 

[Dmaxx]

23 hours ago, Ventenio said:

i had a chance to go to CM....haven't been there for a while, BUT I know NEVER go go there in March.  NEVER.  NEVER.  I told people to leave because of the pollution (and I secretly knew about Corona from the Illuminati, i'm sooo rich now)....but whatever.  I took my own advice.

 

if you are in CM now, i'm sorry but you are not even 1% as smart as you think you are

My IQ was 10,000%. Higher than i tested last year. Im good with being 100% smarter than the little feller that scribbled this. ????

[mike787]

I say we ALL start a GoFund to educate thailand and clean the air....what do you all think...don't be shy, i know you all got pensions we can toss in a little bah from....let's see how much we all really love this place, what are we really willing to do about it besides talk with a keyboard..

Edited March 11, 2020 by mike787

[Stargeezr]

I would much rather live in Hua Hin, or Jomtien Beach area. near the ocean  and much cleaner air, especially in Hua Hin.

Geezer

[DerThaiPin]

And - as usual - blaming the neighbours or other people. Thai people didn't contribute. 555 ????????

[URMySunshine]

On 3/10/2020 at 7:43 AM, New beginnings said:

Well done Chiangmai, finally number 1. Now if we can just be honest about the actual number of people infected by the Coronavirus we could be top of that league as well.

Thailand's hot humid temperature and everyone wearing N95 masks is maybe why they are having a much better time with Coronavirus at the moment. Hope it holds so the smoke may just be contributing to a masked society more than they would if the air was clean. So just for the period of this crisis I wouldn't knock it. Every smoky cloud may have a silver lining. 

Edited March 11, 2020 by URMySunshine

[Logosone]

Chiang Mai is still the best place to live in Thailand. Even with the air quality issue during March and April. 

 

Less crowded than Bangkok, less cars on the road, but still fantastic shopping malls, Central Festival, Maya, Airport Plaza, excellent night life, huge choice of restaurants, a historic city centre that reminds one of the Mediterranean, an abundance of massage spas and coffee shops, great infrastructure.

 

But best of all Chiang Mai is geared to the tourist with money, there's Tiger Kingdom, Trex Waterpark, Elephant sanctuaries, several equestrian centres, shooting ranges, archery cafes, an ice-skating rink, the things that are on offer in Chiang Mai are just not on offer elswhere.

 

And Chiang Mai is an easy place to live in, nothing is too far away. Okay, the air is bad for a month or two, but an airpurifier and filter paperin the air con units will see you through until its over. And for the rest of the year the air is not as bad. 

 

 

[Logosone]

8 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

I would much rather live in Hua Hin, or Jomtien Beach area. near the ocean  and much cleaner air, especially in Hua Hin.

Geezer

 

I would not even consider living in Hua Hin. The taxi mafia is outrageous, it's a small place with little to do or see and there's few attractions. Chiang Mai is leagues better, even with the two month air issue.

 

Was very disappointed with Hua Hin. Very disjointed as well, everything is out the way. 

[Pravda]

8 hours ago, Captain Monday said:

Another good reason to stay indoors at home.

 

 

Makes no difference 

[huntandcollect]

Send this list to Greta ! But she would probably to be interested. Because she is only protesting in clean countries with fresh air.

[URMySunshine]

1 minute ago, Logosone said:

 

I would not even consider living in Hua Hin. The taxi mafia is outrageous, it's a small place with little to do or see and there's few attractions. Chiang Mai is leagues better, even with the two month air issue.

 

Was very disappointed with Hua Hin. Very disjointed as well, everything is out the way. 

Problem is for most folk there is no ideal place in Thailand I would go for Majorca myself. 

[Ddbanksy]

On 3/10/2020 at 2:50 PM, Vacuum said:

CM governor for the the next PM. 

What do you mean,not another honest BS'ter???

[ThailandGuy]

Maybe they think it kills the corona virus? ????

Why does the Thai government not stop this? It is freaking unbelievable and unacceptable that people have to live in this polution.

[Stargeezr]

Yua Hin has a bus system now don't you know?  Much less air pollution due to location,

oh and nicer beaches than Chiang Mai.  Ocean breezes for the hot days as well. I have

been to Chiang Mai a few times, enjoyed December for a week, seen the sights, including

the hotsprings nearby, but I do enjoy the ocean more. Motorbikes can be rented to

avoid the taxis.

Geezer

 

[Sweet Swede]

Today(11/3) is the fifth day since 28/2 that Chiang Mai taken the n:o 1 spot.

 

[ICELANDMAN]

6 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Great stuff.

 

There is pollution in Udon Thani, but it is buried underground somewhere. I refer to Agent Orange, which was stored in the city (thousand of drums of it), for use in Laos and Vietnam. When the US military departed, it was left behind. Not a concern until the drums decay and the poison seeps out. But in the meantime Udon Thanites can enjoy their life pollution free. A few little fires don't bother us.

 

An ex-serviceman friend of mine has been trying to get info' on Agent Orange for 20 years. No luck to date.

Thanks for the information that I think will clarify a mystery with the family Udon Thani of my girl friend for which the mother and five sisters are all truly psychopaths as per textbook, now knowing that psychopathies at various levels are only 1.5% of the population not I could understand why in one family are 100%, I had also thought of agent orange knowing that the grand mother had worked in the American base, but now you confirm my suspicions, the agent orange ad not finish product bad effect to population Udon. 

 

[ICELANDMAN]

4 hours ago, CNXexpat said:

Nearly no tourists are wearing PM2.5 masks. Nobody cares. Also families with children. I have seen many. Also I see expats cycling without mask. 

What surprises me most is why a tourist who has many possibilities of choice goes to an area where the pollution is high ?

[Nigel Garvie]

13 minutes ago, ICELANDMAN said:

What surprises me most is why a tourist who has many possibilities of choice goes to an area where the pollution is high ?

I think this has been covered before. Many falangs in CM have wives/ girl friends who work in ordinary non tourist related jobs, and/or they work here themselves, and/or the two of them have their own property, and are not in the income bracket to swan off to some beach hotel for the duration. Maybe they have kids at school. 

 

Lovely breeze got up this afternoon, miles of mountains clearly seen, air much better, not all doom and gloom. Indeed I may even live to see another March, if the virus doesn't get me, or the drunken pick up driver. "Kit Buack". 

[Logosone]

1 hour ago, URMySunshine said:

Problem is for most folk there is no ideal place in Thailand I would go for Majorca myself. 

I grew up there. Majorca has huge problems.

 

First of all the dregs of society holiday there, granted it's concentrated in El Arenal and Magalluf, but it spills over. Drunks, vomiting in the streets, filth, hooliganism. Then there's the native gypsies and gamberrros. Even the Majorcans had enough and tried, unsuccessfully to transform Majorca once again into a luxury holiday destination. They've had some minor success, but it's still a long way to go.

 

And it's hugely expensive Majorca, most expensive place in Spain. And as an islands its not huge. If you want to fly to Thailand or Japan you have to go to Germany first.

[Logosone]

So this morning Chiang Mai was supposedly the most polluted city in the world.

 

The same people now tell you it's the 47th most polluted.

 

https://www.iqair.com/world-air-quality-ranking

[Aussiepeter]

Please spare me, all those CM expats who live in utter denial because they either can't afford to leave or have invested too much or like 'Logosone', say that this extreme pollution is only for "about two months a year" - what utter bilgewater ! I lived in Chiang Mai for over twenty-five years. From 2000 to 2007 I lived in Mae Hia and then, after building what I thought would be my last home, from 2008 to 2013 in Saraphi. The air in CM started getting really bad 20 years ago and got worse and worse until I finally had enough and took my Thai wife and child to Oz in 2013. It has only gotten worse in CM each year since then and now the air is heavily polluted past any sane world danger levels for about eight or nine months a year ! It started last year in August and it has now been filthy for seven months - my wife calls her family several times a week and "muang CM folk don't lie about it" - you "unbelievers" are in complete and total denial. I should know - I had to suffer four months of being driven eighty kilometres every day of the week for radio-therapy in Oz, in order to kill the cancer that had grown, unbeknown to me, in my larynx from breathing that xxxx every day for so many years. No amount of air purifiers or filters will save you from losing ten to fifteen years off your life expectancy. Want more proof ? Today, my wife called her uncle, who like her is a locksmith and has owned and run the same locksmiths shop at the intersection of Wualai Road (walking street) and the canal for the last thirty years (I met my wife there over 20 years ago.) He has never smoked either, but he has cancer in his lungs/nasal passages, after being exposed to this filth all of his life. He is 55. Life is cheap in Asia.