Chiang Mai: It's not just coronavirus crisis stretching resources - fires rage in national park for two days

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Chiang Mai: It's not just coronavirus crisis stretching resources - fires rage in national park for two days

 

Picture: Wevo

 

Resources in Chiang Mai are being stretched to the limit and it is not just the coronavirus that is draining personnel and equipment.

 

The authorities are battling huge and challenging fires in the Doi Suthep - Pui national park that have been raging for two days.

 

So serious are the fires that Chiang Mai's governor Charoenrit Sanguansat and his deputy were on the scene last night helping to direct operations and implement strategies. 

 

About 400 firefighters from multiple jurisdictions and agencies are battling the blazes that are continually spreading due to high winds and sparks moving across mountainsides and ravines. 

 

Picture: Chiang Mai News

 

The terrain and breathing difficulties are presenting particular challenges for firemen. 

 

Breathing difficulties are also experienced by Chiang Mai's long suffering residents who have complained for years about fires and illegal burning creating haze and ruining life in the northern Thai province. 

 

Picture: Chiang Mai News

 

The city is often named as one of the most polluted in the world, especially around this time of the year.

 

Dramatic pictures on Chiang Mai News and a Facebook site called Wevo showed the raging fires. 

 

Source: Chiang Mai News

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2020-03-26

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[CNXexpat]

It is really horrible right now. Every year the same, nothing will change. That´s why I want to relocate to another city soon as possible.

 

 

[Just1Voice]

You can't fix stupid

[rasmus5150]

29 minutes ago, CNXexpat said:

It is really horrible right now. Every year the same, nothing will change. That´s why I want to relocate to another city soon as possible.

 

 

Come to Bangkok.

We have plenty of space right now ????

[marko kok prong]

My mate told me a lot of these fires are set on purpose as the resultant ash,helps promote mushroom growth when the rains come,never mind about the flora and fauna,as long as the selfish dicks can get the mushrooms.On a related issue,whilst i was away the farmer behind me torched his bone dry paddocks,then went of to eat,according to my neighbour the wind picked up,and it got out of control,not only burning his paddocks but all the nieghbours as well and a small hut,they had to call the fire brigade,when i look out over the back wall now all the ground is black as far as the eye can see,when the wind picks up it blows the small particles of ash eveywhere. I hope the fire brigade and local Obertor will be talking to this man,but i doubt it.

[from the home of CC]

33 minutes ago, CNXexpat said:

It is really horrible right now. Every year the same, nothing will change. That´s why I want to relocate to another city soon as possible.

 

 

adding to your misery are all the restrictions now for moving to another province, good luck to you Sir, I feel for you. A rampant respiratory bug coupled with this sh** is beyond terrible. I hope you folks up there get a huge rain.. 

[CNXexpat]

2 minutes ago, from the home of CC said:

I hope you folks up there get a huge rain..

No rain to expect till middle of May ????

[30la]

This is not new news ... in Thailand it must always burn something ...

[legend49]

1 minute ago, 30la said:

This is not new news ... in Thailand it must always burn something ...

Also its not 2 days its been burning 9 days and the whole city has high PM 2.5 for that period. We dont wear face masks here because of COVID-19 we wear them because the air is filthy with smoke and pollutants. So many people are sick.

[CNXexpat]

1 hour ago, marko kok prong said:

My mate told me a lot of these fires are set on purpose as the resultant ash,helps promote mushroom growth

No, it helps to find the mushrooms easier. So they set the forests on fire to have less work.

[worgeordie]

It's hard enough trying to breath up here in the North,

without getting Covid 19, seen a lad on BBC explaining

what it was like when he caught it,terrible shortage of

breath,and very high temperature,well I am half way

there and I dont have the virus.

This year the Government has gotten away with doing

very little to STOP the burning,because it's all about the

Virus,but next year will be exactly the same,as it has

been for years now.

regards Worgeordie

[Antonymous]

I've been posting my photos of fires in the national forests north of Chiang Mai for a month now.

 

It seems that this particular raging fire is 'too close' to the city and so the local authorities 'have' to tackle it.

 

Meanwhile and hitherto, I have not seen any action at all to extinguish the daily/nightly blazes a little further north in the Sri Lanna National Park. This year there seems to have been a free-for-all with arsonists acting with impunity.

 

Just a few days ago a very long stretch all along the 1001 was set alight at night, still smouldering next morning. These fires are being set deliberately I'm sure and nothing being done to stop it.

[Jimbo2014]

BUT... back start of February beloved and no choice leader Prayuth said that corona and fires were 100% under control.... he said! - I believed him ????????  

[TheFishman1]

Can the government at least stop these crazy people from burning fires the air here is just <deleted>ty terrible every day what the hell is going on zTIT

[CNXexpat]

21 minutes ago, Jimbo2014 said:

I believed him

Yes, me too. He is a very trustworthy man. Thanks Buddha Thailand has a leader like him ????

[malibukid]

typical Thai non think.  comprimise respariorty system in a medical crisis.

[malibukid]

buy some F^%$$^ air tankers idiots, not submarines

[Aussiepeter]

I got my family out of C Mai some 7 years ago now. Anyone who stays there, who has any choice whatsoever, no matter how tiny or miniscule that chance may be after the end of this corona virus issue, of going any fxxxing where else is living in horrible, total, complete and utter denial. If you have children, better to lose everything and start again elsewhere. You are committing your children to an early death. This sh*t causes laryngeal, pharyngeal and multiple lung cancers in non-smokers. No Sh*t ! Four months of radiation here in Oz means that if I ever get Covid 19, at 68 I'm dead, as my lungs are scarred from the months of radiation that saved me. My doctor here is Buddhist, from Sri Lanka. He cares. I'm indoors. (He says LOS 'sucks'). I won't apologise for this rant, because I really care about all of those still stuck there. My friends, my former students, even my MIL, who has HIV ! No one should have to breathe that muck - now for about eight months or more, every year. Screw LOS - we are never, ever, going back there. (Wifey says NO thanks). Our air here in Oz tonight is crystal clear. Still no bog rolls/dunny paper to be had though, sadly.  I use old newspaper - it's better 'n' nothin - leaving the few real rolls left for the Thai missus and kids. I loved LOS for nearly 30 years. It's gone. End of story.

[daoyai]

41 minutes ago, Aussiepeter said:

I got my family out of C Mai some 7 years ago now. Anyone who stays there, who has any choice whatsoever, no matter how tiny or miniscule that chance may be after the end of this corona virus issue, of going any fxxxing where else is living in horrible, total, complete and utter denial. If you have children, better to lose everything and start again elsewhere. You are committing your children to an early death. This sh*t causes laryngeal, pharyngeal and multiple lung cancers in non-smokers. No Sh*t ! Four months of radiation here in Oz means that if I ever get Covid 19, at 68 I'm dead, as my lungs are scarred from the months of radiation that saved me. My doctor here is Buddhist, from Sri Lanka. He cares. I'm indoors. (He says LOS 'sucks'). I won't apologise for this rant, because I really care about all of those still stuck there. My friends, my former students, even my MIL, who has HIV ! No one should have to breathe that muck - now for about eight months or more, every year. Screw LOS - we are never, ever, going back there. (Wifey says NO thanks). Our air here in Oz tonight is crystal clear. Still no bog rolls/dunny paper to be had though, sadly.  I use old newspaper - it's better 'n' nothin - leaving the few real rolls left for the Thai missus and kids. I loved LOS for nearly 30 years. It's gone. End of story.

30 years in LOs   s and you didn't install a bum gun in oz?

[mike787]

NO surprise, CM will never change.

[Aussiepeter]

Hey daoyai - not ONE bum gun but, I literally brought about TWENTY bum guns back here from my final trip to CM in March 2019 (I travel Bus Class) ! Every house I've had in Oz since about 1998 has had one. My 98 y.o. dad even has one in his place, after a visit to my place in C Mai in 1994. Greatest invention (somehow I doubt that a Thai ever invented it) on the blxxdy planet ! We have one in our 100 y.o. Aussie timber home, hence that is why I only need a bit of newsprint to soak up the water/leftovers ! I bought a couple of the really expensive (stainless) ones too last trip, as I am planning on a new-build, when I find a decent block near the ocean that is not over-priced. (Yeh, I have a few quid). "Bum guns - made for just such a dunny-paper crisis - cos you use bxxxer all paper". Could be a sales pitch ? Would have loved one when I was growing up mate - we had a 'thunder box' ! Maybe I should market them now in Oz, due to the paper crisis ?

[cardinalblue]

Hate to say this but if there was the appearance of a strong wind One night which lead to many structures destroyed and lives taken in CM city would actually have a positive effect in the long run...

 

nothing like an embarrassment and losing face to light a fire under important people’s butts to draw attention to an absolute tragic situation...

 

to let you know that this is not a case of one forest fire out of control ...cm has had one good air day (meaning ave Under 50) since Nov 30th 2019...that means bad air ranging from moderate to very unhealthy to dangerous every day except one now for nearly four months....unbelievable 

 

 

 

[dunroaming]

6 hours ago, CNXexpat said:

It is really horrible right now. Every year the same, nothing will change. That´s why I want to relocate to another city soon as possible.

 

 

One of the main reasons I left Chiang Mai ten years.  Nothing changes no matter how many times they say it will.  We had a six year son and we moved in fear for his health.

[Aussiepeter]

Many thanks to you 'cardinal blue' for only confirming my story and the truth of this matter. Chiang Mai as a city is finished, forever, due to the greed and selfishness of a few, very wealthy, Thai people. A totally polluted xxxxhole on the planet, for almost three quarters of a year now, every year for the last fifteen years. Just an OK  place to pass through, when and if, and I mean "if", it is raining ... Thanks also to "dunroaming" who had the balls to save his childs' life and get the hell out of 'turd-mai'. Too many friends back there, to even contemplate their demise due to pulmonary disease.

[wwest5829]

7 hours ago, 30la said:

This is not new news ... in Thailand it must always burn something ...

I have been here 8 years. Last year and this year the worst years. Wonder why the air water tankers are not used to dump on clearly visible fire lines.

[NorthernRyland]

54 minutes ago, Aussiepeter said:

Chiang Mai as a city is finished, forever, due to the greed and selfishness of a few, very wealthy, Thai people

Wealthy people? It's the underclass and village people from surrounding areas. Life seems to just kind of happen to the Thais and I have zero confidence they will ever be able to tackle this.

 

Maybe in 100 years something will change but for our lifetimes it's best to accept this and try to move on like you did (I know am).

[NorthernRyland]

19 minutes ago, wwest5829 said:

I have been hear 8 years. Last year and this year the worst years.Wonder why the air water tankers are not used to dump on clearly visible fire lines.

I rent a little house in Samoeng (in addition to living in CM) and this morning the smoke was so thick it burned the eyes. The people living there don't care, life just goes on for them, sick or otherwise...

[Lacessit]

3 hours ago, Aussiepeter said:

Hey daoyai - not ONE bum gun but, I literally brought about TWENTY bum guns back here from my final trip to CM in March 2019 (I travel Bus Class) ! Every house I've had in Oz since about 1998 has had one. My 98 y.o. dad even has one in his place, after a visit to my place in C Mai in 1994. Greatest invention (somehow I doubt that a Thai ever invented it) on the blxxdy planet ! We have one in our 100 y.o. Aussie timber home, hence that is why I only need a bit of newsprint to soak up the water/leftovers ! I bought a couple of the really expensive (stainless) ones too last trip, as I am planning on a new-build, when I find a decent block near the ocean that is not over-priced. (Yeh, I have a few quid). "Bum guns - made for just such a dunny-paper crisis - cos you use bxxxer all paper". Could be a sales pitch ? Would have loved one when I was growing up mate - we had a 'thunder box' ! Maybe I should market them now in Oz, due to the paper crisis ?

Most plumbers won't install them, some BS about bacteria getting into mains water supply. Yeah right, they can swim backwards at a rate of knots.

[Lacessit]

The solution to this is so simple. Start heavily fining or jailing the poo yais of any village near the fires, and the problem would disappear overnight. Same as wearing a helmet on a bike, a fine of 1000 baht or confiscation of the bike would transform behaviors very rapidly

[Antonymous]

Everyone who reads these air pollution threads should know by now that I am as angry as the next guy about the lack of effort by the Thai authorities to fix the problem. So please don't flame me for pointing this out again...

 

The air pollution is NOT a 'Chiang Mai' problem per se. It is a problem for the whole of the north and north-east of Thailand. Chiang Mai is not even the most polluted city in Thailand - that honour according to Air Visual goes to Korat, which if you know your geography is a good way from Chiang Mai.

 

To illustrate my point, here are the live (23.00 on 26 March) PM2.5 figures for some random cities that I punched in. The Chiang Mai number matches exactly my own PM2.5 monitor at home at this moment:

 

Phitsanulok 193

Chiang Rai 190

Sukhothai 187

Chiang Mai 169

Khon Kaen 153

Nan 153

Udon Thani 152

Mae Sot (Tak) 151

 

Anger should be directed at the Thai government and everyone should understand that singling out Chiang Mai only serves to minimise the magnitude of the problem that so many people face over a vastly greater area.

 

I have lived in Chiang Mai for 30 years. I have ten friends over the age of 60 who have lived here permanently for longer. None of us has respiratory problems, perhaps because we had no other health conditions that predisposed us to them and/or because we have learned to adjust our lifestyles (timely vacations, air purifiers in the mornings, etc). I say this because I wouldn't want anyone unfamiliar with the situation to think that we are all gagging for air and dying of cancer.

 

If anyone reading this does have respiratory or lung health problems then I'd advise you not to settle anywhere in the north or north-east of Thailand at least until this ghastly situation changes. It appears that nothing is being done at the moment.