Chiang Mai launches measures to control forest fires

[snoop1130]

Chiang Mai launches measures to control forest fires

By THE NATION

 

 

Stringent measures are being put in place to control forest fires in several parts of Chiang Mai with the aim of easing air pollution.

 

Chiang Mai’s deputy governor Komsan Suwan-Ampha met with representatives from the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and other related agencies on Wednesday (April 1) to discuss ways of solving the pollution problem.

 

Komsan said steps are being taken to close all access to forests in a move to save forested areas of Doi Suthep and Doi Pui.

 

He has also ordered soldiers, police and other relevant state officials as well as community chiefs and local people to patrol the mountains’ forested areas to ensure no fires are sparked. He has also ordered the arrest of trespassers.

 

On Tuesday (March 31), six people were prosecuted for starting forest fires.

 

As of Wednesday, 2.37pm, there were 121 hotspots in 15 Chiang Mai districts and the authorities are doing their best to control these fires.

 

The helicopters of Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation as well as those of the Royal Thai Army are on standby at Doi Suthep to respond to emergencies, while other government helicopters are being used to control fires in other areas.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30385213

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-04-01

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[stephenterry]

Finally a baby step in the right direction. When it goes live on local CM TV, maybe we'll see further progress in enforcing the law. Beats me why action has only been taken when a fire at Doi Suthep and Doi Pui threatens the most sacred of all temples...

 

As for the 121 hotspots, send the army out to arrest and fine the ignorant numb-skulls who have started the fires. 

[Puchaiyank]

What?  Are people still living in the Chiang Mai area?

[rebo]

1 hour ago, Puchaiyank said:

What?  Are people still living in the Chiang Mai area?

You can hardly call it "living" ...

[Tarteso]

In two weeks the rain wiil make the job. 

[Forza2002]

Blah, blah, blah... usual lip service. We are going to do this, that, etc.. as usual Sweet Fanny Adams will be done. Without adequate, trustworthy (non corrupt) resources a complete waste of time. Only another month of suffering to endure before we hopefully get rain... tick, tock...

[stephenterry]

9 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

What?  Are people still living in the Chiang Mai area?

It's probably not the ideal time to up-sticks and move out, is it? And there are deadlier toxic carcinogens e.g. smoking, that have a higher risk of cancer mortality.  

 

My financial circumstance just don't cut the mustard - I'm stuck with what I've got, and by keeping well out of the forest areas, I mitigate the air pollution. Freedom of choice is a rare commodity these days. 

[Toany]

Rain in two weeks.  Then wait until the same problem next year

[Antonymous]

10 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

What?  Are people still living in the Chiang Mai area?

 

Yep, here we go again with the authorities finally acting because Wat Suthep and a royal residence are in the line of fire. Not, we have to conclude, because the they give a damn about the health of the population.

 

Have to keep pointing this out to the ill-informed...

 

There are 34 million people in 30 provinces affected by dangerous air pollution in the north, north-east and parts of central and west Thailand every year during the burning season.

 

Folks, educate yourselves please. This is not just a 'Chiang Mai problem' and Chiang Mai is not even the most polluted city*. Statistics for many towns are readily available on AirVisual and you can check this fact out for yourself.

 

It is a national disaster.

 

*Chiang Mai makes the headlines because it seems that AirVisual only lists the MAJOR cities Bangkok and Chiang Mai in it's "World's most polluted cities" rogues gallery. That means that other more polluted towns in the vast affected areas of Thailand that actually have higher pollution ratings at the time that Chiang Mai gets top ranking, are not mentioned in that list.

[Venom]

57 minutes ago, Toany said:

Rain in two weeks.  Then wait until the same problem next year

You mean next season! Within 2-4 months the most polluted city on the planet will return, more deadly than ever. But nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care. TIT

 

In the meantime only a very unhealthy 192 AQI this morning, very good by Thai standards! ????????

[Antonymous]

6 minutes ago, Venom said:

You mean next season! Within 2-4 months the most polluted city on the planet will return, more deadly than ever. But nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care. TIT

 

What you have written is absolute nonsense.

 

By all means be angry about the air pollution that affects half of the kingdom, but please don't make stuff up about Chiang Mai, which is ranked #372 in the world's most polluted cities when a whole year is taken into account. When you do this you divert people's attention from the magnitude of the national disaster.

 

Chiang Mai has PM2.5 pollution at high level for three out of each 12 months. There are other towns and cities that are at that same level for up to five months and which still have quite high levels throughout the year.

 

For example Korat was the most polluted city in Thailand in 2019, ranked #200 most polluted city in the world.

 

People DO notice and DO care, but the Thai government does not take effective measures to control the problem. That's where we should be directing our anger.

 

The following chart shows the average PM2.5 levels in 2019, taken from AirVisual stats. Note that towns in Thailand enter the world rankings at #200 on the list with an average PM2.5 for the whole year of 42.2.

 

 

 

[alant]

Unfortunately such announcements carry no weight for me. I have seen the same announcement cosmetically modified time after time, in fact year after year.

I am a loss as to understand why they never, NEVER grasp the way to stop the pollution is to prevent he burning in the first place, right at the start of the season, not when it is already far too late.

[malibukid]

too little too late.  why don't they ask the Aussies or the Yanks to send some serious aircraft to assist.  it would just take a phone call. no, loss of face and people are dying.  it could out in a week.  helicopters alone will not work.  might as well use a squirt gun.

[chingmai331]

Need water dropping airplanes to fight the forest fires?  No problem, but where is the water?  Have you heard of the Thai drought and depleted reservoirs.  You would hear a greater outcry if CM city could not take 3 showers a day.

[stephenterry]

1 hour ago, Antonymous said:

 

What you have written is absolute nonsense.

 

By all means be angry about the air pollution that affects half of the kingdom, but please don't make stuff up about Chiang Mai, which is ranked #372 in the world's most polluted cities when a whole year is taken into account. When you do this you divert people's attention from the magnitude of the national disaster.

 

Chiang Mai has PM2.5 pollution at high level for three out of each 12 months. There are other towns and cities that are at that same level for up to five months and which still have quite high levels throughout the year.

 

For example Korat was the most polluted city in Thailand in 2019, ranked #200 most polluted city in the world.

 

People DO notice and DO care, but the Thai government does not take effective measures to control the problem. That's where we should be directing our anger.

 

The following chart shows the average PM2.5 levels in 2019, taken from AirVisual stats. Note that towns in Thailand enter the world rankings at #200 on the list with an average PM2.5 for the whole year of 42.2.

 

 

 

Very interesting stats, Anton - thanks for the information, very incisive. Where is Dhaka and Kolkata on the list?

While I regard myself as living in Chiang Mai, I'm actually within the Hang Dong Tambon, and in range of Saraphi - although the latter's weather doesn't normally affect my moobahn. Regretfully, I still need to drive into the 'city' area for food supplies.

 

BTW - when watching Sky TV Covid outbreaks on a global scale - only Bangkok is listed within Thailand, which is also useless for global city comparison purposes - albeit the highest number of Thailand infections are (officially) registered in BKK.   

[BobBKK]

After decades same problem every year, they still can't figure it out?  how about restrict who goes there?  CCTV?  drones?  satellites?

[Forza2002]

As has been said by many posters in the past, the most effective way to help alleviate all the burning is to fine the Poo Yai Baan 100,000 baht, take away his bad of office and name and shame them. The Poo Yai Baan knows exactly who everybody is and their movements within his Tambon. Never happen of course because it's to bl00dy obvious...

[moe666]

14 hours ago, stephenterry said:

Finally a baby step in the right direction. When it goes live on local CM TV, maybe we'll see further progress in enforcing the law. Beats me why action has only been taken when a fire at Doi Suthep and Doi Pui threatens the most sacred of all temples...

 

As for the 121 hotspots, send the army out to arrest and fine the ignorant numb-skulls who have started the fires. 

It is all about the residential area around this area alot of people live in this area. They have arrested over 300 people caught starting fires. A couple of Sundays ago good article in Bangkok Post about what is being done to fight the fires. More than we know about.

[Forza2002]

2 minutes ago, moe666 said:

It is all about the residential area around this area alot of people live in this area. They have arrested over 300 people caught starting fires. A couple of Sundays ago good article in Bangkok Post about what is being done to fight the fires. More than we know about.

Clearly not enough...

[stephenterry]

59 minutes ago, alant said:

Unfortunately such announcements carry no weight for me. I have seen the same announcement cosmetically modified time after time, in fact year after year.

I am a loss as to understand why they never, NEVER grasp the way to stop the pollution is to prevent he burning in the first place, right at the start of the season, not when it is already far too late.

It's a Thailand behavioural trait, IMO. A 'year in year out' reactionary, rather than a pro-active, society. How many times have you gone shopping for a standard product and be told Mai Mee. No effective stock control process exists, IMO, including Rimping.

 

Until BKK officialdom instruct the CM governor to introduce a 'pre-season' preventional process, it won't happen.   

 

 

[Thailand]

There are actually designated times to burn which is beyond belief considering the effects. 

I do not see anything different to the lip service of past years,it's simply the proximity to the temples that has caused minor short term motivation.

[Jimbo2014]

I hope more than a slap on the wrist for those 6 people but since they are likely working for large corporations I dont hold out much hope.   Only capital punishment and massive fines will stop this epic destruction.

[hotchilli]

15 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Chiang Mai’s deputy governor Komsan Suwan-Ampha met with representatives from the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation and other related agencies on Wednesday (April 1) to discuss ways of solving the pollution problem

 

[hugocnx]

I withdraw my earlier posting in another thread where I named the governor a pussy. Change that to a little tough till further notice.

Finally action. Not because of you and me but because of the temple and the royal residence.

[worgeordie]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

He has also ordered soldiers, police and other relevant state officials as well as community chiefs and local people to patrol the mountains’ forested areas to ensure no fires are sparked. He has also ordered the arrest of trespassers.

 

That's what I have proposed on here all along, and only now they are doing it,

The only way to try and prevent fires is to have Police ,Soldiers and any volunteers

up in the hills and forests patrolling,any arsonists they catch must be dealt with

severely,to act as a deterrent to others who may think its OK to burn and effect

the health and livelihoods of  the majority of people.Why so late ?

regards Worgeordie

 

 

[stephenterry]

19 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

That's what I have proposed on here all along, and only now they are doing it,

The only way to try and prevent fires is to have Police ,Soldiers and any volunteers

up in the hills and forests patrolling,any arsonists they catch must be dealt with

severely,to act as a deterrent to others who may think its OK to burn and effect

the health and livelihoods of  the majority of people.Why so late ?

regards Worgeordie

 

 

Yourwell meaning post is a little late to grace these pages, as many posts above echo the same solution. Armed drones would be good, methinks...

[banagan]

Bla bla bla, heard it all before. 

 

4-6 weeks to go, too little too late.

 

Maybe next year!

[connda]

Shooting arsonists would be a good start.  But that requires enforcement which is non-existence.  Instead of finding those responsible for committing arson by starting forest fires, they divert attention to some poor sap who gets fined for burning trash in their back yard.  

[connda]

But wait!  Think of all the Het Tawp mushrooms that will spring up and bring prosperity to the mushroom pickers!!!

What they should do is make mushroom picking illegal.  It's the proximate cause for all these forest fires.

[worgeordie]

2 hours ago, stephenterry said:

Yourwell meaning post is a little late to grace these pages, as many posts above echo the same solution. Armed drones would be good, methinks...

I Have been posting the same thing for a few years now,they need the Police,Army and

any volunteers up in the hills and forests to catch any  arsonists, and make an example

of them to show they are serious at stopping this burning every year ,once again it is them

that are late...It's not like they don't know when and where it's going to happen.

regards worgeordie